Chapter 9

Anne removed all the clean clothes from the dryer and stacked them neatly on the breakfast table. The busy Thai woman ran ragged the whole afternoon, from cleaning the house to grocery shopping. Something to keep herself preoccupied before Michael and Luz returned from their little adventure. Anne was starting to grow worried, though, her sullen eyes shifting to the window and seeing how dark it was outside (almost midnight, by her account).

Get ahold of yourself, Anne Boonchuy. They're not in trouble. Michael and Luz just got caught up in whatever closure they're working out, and those two are running late. It's not like that time in Los Angeles ten years ago when the Plantars followed you back home, and you constantly worried about their safety. Anne gently slapped both sides of her face, shaking away all of her inhibitions before taking a load off at the table.

With a knife in hand, Anne began cutting into an apple, each slice skinned before taking a bite from the succulent fruit. A snack to ease her troubled nerves, though not enough. The space around her was silent, nagging thoughts continued pestering her.

Oh, God. Now I know how Mom felt when I disappeared, but this is totally different. Remember that. Those two will walk right into the house any second now.

As if on cue, the silence finally broke when Anne heard the front door fly open and joyous laughter echoed from the living room. Anne shot up, surprised by her own hunch.

That must be them right now. Please, God, I hope it's them and not a burglar or one of those government agents. Anne prayed a little, holding the knife tight as she headed over to investigate.

Anne moved in a little, close enough not to be seen. She peered from the doorway and sighed as Michael and Luz strolled through the front door, each offering leverage. The pair were almost loaded to the gills while holding each other in merriment.

"Five beers. You had five mugs of beers, and you can still manage to find our way back home," Luz commented, slurring her words.

"Oh, please. If you're impressed by that, then you should have seen it when Jasper and I crashed this frat party in freshmen year. I got so shit-faced, I started getting into a fistfight with all those snooty preppies and bleeding hearts," said Michael with a bellowing chuckle and crooked grin. "On the other hand, you just took one sip and you're almost down for the count. Talk about a lightweight."

"Well, I'm sorry, but not everyone can handle their liquor like you, jerk," Luz countered, playfully puffing her cheeks.

"Oh, I'm messing with you. You know that?" Michael lightly apologized.

Luz rolled her eyes before flashing a cheeky smile, the young man receiving a tight hug. "Yeah, I know. Still, I was surprised they didn't check my ID when the bartender took our orders. I was sure we were gonna get kicked out."

"What did I tell you, Luz. Always say that you're French and any pub will open their doors to anyone, or something like that," Michael remarked, almost incoherently.

"But I'm not French, I'm Dominican. A-am I?" Luz corrected with a confused expression, briefly whispering to herself.

"Poh-tay-toh, poh-tah-toh!" Michael childish proclaimed as he kissed Luz on the forehead. The giddy girl didn't push away. "It's good to be back home, though. It's better than sleeping on the saloon's floor like a bum. I get to see you and Anne, my two favorite girls in the fuckin' world. Hell, tomorrow, we'll have fun at the County Fair. Wouldn't that be a treat?"

On his feet all day, Michael led Luz to the coach, the two plopping on the soft and comfortable sofa. The witch-in-training nestled up and sighed, the young man aimlessly looking around before beaming at the doorway.

"Hey, Anne! When did you get here?" Michael addressed as Luz jumped, frantically looking in his direction.

Anne stepped out, making her presence known to Michael, and walked over to the living room, placing the small knife in her back pocket for safekeeping. Michael eyed her, unsure of what she wanted.

Anne moved in closely, her scent touching Michael's nose. "I do live here, you know? I heard you guys come in and wanted to see you guy. To see if everything's patched up between you two before going to bed."

"Ah, that's nice of you. Don't worry, everything's fine between me and Luz, in more ways than one," Michael said with a confirming edge.

Luz nodded, confirmed. "That's right, and we both got wasted to celebrate. I even flashed that cop on the walkway here." She was about to lift her shirt again. Michael stopped her in mid-flash.

"That's also how we got a 150-dollar ticket for indecent exposure, Luz," Michael pointed out, cheeks red with an irritable frown.

"Correction. You got the ticket; I got her phone number. She was very nice for a lady cop," Luz flashed a mischievous grin.

Standing up, Luz was about to bid her two friends goodnight when she almost lost her balance; Anne grabbed her arm and helped her from falling. She turned to her, kissing her cheek. The very gesture made Anne skittish.

"Thanks for the save, and please go easy on the big lug, over there. Whatever he tells you, it isn't his fault. He cares about you dearly, the same way with me, and doesn't want to hurt you in any way, so just hear him out."

Anne lurched away, looking a tad bewildered by her cryptic message.

"…Okay, I will?"

Luz padded her on the cheeks and smiled. She staggered away, leaving the living room as Anne and Michael were the only people left. The young woman walked over and sat beside the inebriated young man.

The space between them grew silent, eyes staring into each other's souls.

"I'm glad to hear you two are getting along again. seeing you this morning, you were basically the walking dead, but now…." Anne was cut off.

"Y-yeah, everything's all right, and that's all I have to say," Michael nearly stammered before attempting to slip out, his body rising off the couch as Anne touched his lap.

"Where are you going, babe? Stay. I want to hear everything. You're not too buzzed enough to have a chat. The apology, the drinking…" she trailed off as she leaned closely to his ear, giving a sneaky leer of a smile. "But most importantly, the part where you hit it and quit it with that tiny tomboy, Luz Noceda."

Michael blinked. "You know? How?"

"I could say it's women's intuition, but that's totes cliché. I figured it out right when you and Luz walked in, seeing how close and friendly you guys were without that awkward shuffle," Anne touched the young man's chin and trailed her thumb across his lips, so to show the smudge before wiping it on her shorts. "Also, there's the lipstick smear on her mouth, and I could have sworn Luz was wearing it when she left the house."

Well, that's not the only place I got lipstick smeared, but it's best not to say where. A grim expression was plastered on his face as Michael self-consciously glanced downward.

"I was going to tell you when I got back. How you would react afterwards almost made me not, though," Michael confessed with a sad tone.

"What? You thought I was going to go ballistic like some jilted lover from a cheesy soap opera? Fair enough, it was soap operas that taught me the signs of romantic betrayal in the first place, but I digress."

Anne patted her lap as Michael laid his head; her warm, soft thigh comforted him. She played with his black hair, her fingers combing his bangs as it eased his troubled mind.

"So, you're not mad at me?" Michael asked.

"Not unless you want me to slap you dramatically and call you a bastard," Anne joked but sighed as she got serious. "If I'm going to be totally honest, I would have been supes angry at you, but I'm not. Sure, whenever I saw you and Luz getting close, I was jealous and felt like tearing her a new one. However, that was before I got to know our quirky, little roommate."

"What are you telling me?"

Anne smirked. "I'm telling you that, as long as you and I are together, I'm okay with sharing you with Luz because we're all friends. She's our friend and that doesn't mean I'm going to fight over you like a heroine in some romcom anime."

"Oh, that's good. Thank God!"

"Pretty based, though."

That was when a loud thud erupted as Anne stabbed a knife onto the wooden edges of the coffee table. Michael nearly jolted in reasonable response, eyes shooting wide while turning pale. A semblance of dread ran up his spine, enough to sober him up a little. The young man looked and shrunk in terror as he saw Anne's gentle demeanor disappear, her gaze lowered.

"Now, if it was some bitch I didn't know and you were screwing her behind our back, that's a different story. Not only would I skin the tramp and sauté her body into golden curry, but I'll make sure won't be able to go after another girl again with one little snip." Anne's wide smile greatly contrasted the hellish glower in her hazel eyes, prying the knife out and bringing it to Michael's face. "Do I make myself clear, Mr. Therman?"

Michael gave a fearful nod.

Putting the knife away, Anne resumed combing Michael's hair as her expression returned to its friendly disposition. "Atta boy. Glad you see it my way."

"No way! She actually said that?"

"Oh, I am not kidding. Both with verbal and physical threats. I can't say I didn't deserve it, though."

Taking her headphones off, Tulip pivoted from her computer and stared as Michael lay sideways on her bed, lamenting. His eyes darted around and admired the space within her studio apartment. It was in the afternoon, on the very next day, the laidback redhead was in the middle of work when the young man arrived to get out of his own house. His nerves too wracked to stay under the same roof, needing an extra breather away from Anne.

"But what really scares me is how turned on I got from that exchange," Michael admitted with a whisper and a frown.

Tulip smiled wickedly and leaned forward. "And yet, knowing the risks, you still came all this way to see little ol' me. What a rebel, you are."

"That's not why I'm here." Michael hopped off the bed and stepped over to Tulip, lifting his smartphone and grimacing. "The text you sent said that you might know the source of these breaches, and that's the only reason why I'm here."

"That's it?" she asked, unamused.

"Well, that and the gallery of selfies you sent to me, too. I don't know if this is your way of coming on to me, or convincing me to subscribe to your OnlyFans, but it needs to stop, please," Michael added as he scrolled through the photos, each one of the redhead in lingerie and doing suggestive poses.

"I thought offering an incentive would encourage you to come over. Excuse me for trying too hard," Tulip remarked, her tsundere side rising.

She sighed, mentally wiping her forehead, saving the moment. Good thing I didn't send that 2-hour long video of me, that could have been a real deal breaker, which is a shame because those toys and that jar of lube were not cheap.

"The incentive was fine, but did you have to crank it up a notch with the get-up you're wearing now, especially for a simple meetup!?" Michael exclaimed.

Arching a brow, Tulip looked down and shrugged. The redhead wore a matching pair of track shorts and a sports bra tightly wrapped around her athletically curvy figure. The very sight was quite alluring, as Michael needed his entire willpower not to look past her neck.

"I told you! I just came back from working out at the gym and didn't have time to change. Get off my back! Not everything I'm doing is me hitting on you!" Tulip deflected with reddened cheeks, cutely puckering her lips, and crossed her arms, accentuating her chest. "God, will you stop thinking with your dick for a moment, Michael, so we can get down to business?"

She turned to the monitor and started moving her hands on the keyboard, the bright light glistening off her glasses. The modem ran practically on horsepower and fast enough to follow every command, the sleek black rectangle flashing a neon blue. Her flat stomach scrunched in close to the desk as her fingers smashed various keys, summoning many pie charts and graphs. Michael motioned over and stood aside as Tulip raised her index onto the bright screen, tapping at it.

"You see these stats? This is the data I've been collecting ever since I arrived on your Earth, Earth Prime, and I haven't stopped collecting. Weather reports, electricity spikes, climate changes, everything that points out to a breach in the time-space continuum. It follows the elevation of tachyon particles and a drastic change in the metaphysical paradigm network via string theory," Tulip explained as Michael tried to keep up; her alluring appearance was too distracting.

Nevertheless, Michael absorbed enough to understand. That, and spending high school pantomiming through science lectures, sometimes came in handy.

"You did all that with just a regular gaming modem?" Michael praised, almost slack-jawed.

"Well, yeah, but it's no big deal," Tulip blushed, waving a hand nonchalantly before going back to the screen. "Being a computer whiz who makes a living designing games, I know how to reprogram and advance any device. That, and spending your teens being trapped on an eldritch AI-powered bullet train filled with infinite pocket dimensions teaches you a thing or two."

Changing to the next diagrams, Tulip turned and disappointingly shook her head. "I haven't really pinpointed the source of these distortions. Not yet anyways. You can only get things halfway done when you have limited resources and equipment."

"So, you didn't find anything on why you, Anne, and Luz are here?" Michael pinched the bridge of his nose and grumbled.

"Not necessarily. While I didn't find the source, my data managed to figure out the status of our ordeal," Tulip corrected with an upbeat tone.

"What do you mean?"

Tulip grabbed an onion and smoothly removed its skin, not taking her eyes off the young man. "I mean that the graphs indicate these breaches are not just affecting your town but also other places on a regional level. Whatever's creating them is not stopping in one area of the globe."

"Wait. You're telling me this shit is growing?" Michael questioned, shocked at the revelation.

"That's right," Tulip nodded while biting at her peeled vegetable, Michael looking mildly disgusted. "And if nothing is done about it, then it could potentially be the end of your world as we know it!" She stated with her mouth full, hyping up her statement as Michael's mouth fell agape. "Well, hypothetically speaking. Some of the numbers are a little off, and I'm being a tad dramatic, but the severity of the situation could lead to something possibly apocalyptic." At the end of the sentence, Michael's eyes grew narrow as Tulip chuckled and rephrased, swallowing the mashed onion bits.

"Is there a way to stop this? What can we do?"

"There's nothing we can do. Not unless you have a government-graded thermonuclear analyzer that can detect tachyon radiation. The one I got is like something you would find in a toy store. Not strong enough to track higher levels let alone boost your 5G signal. If not, all you can do is spend the remainder of your life with your loved ones," Tulip suggested as Michael felt her hand wrapping around his own, gently squeezing it, smiling. "Didn't you say you were taking your friends to a county fair? You might as well get that out of the way before the world potentially ends, and if I'm available…."

Michael's sense dialed up to eleven, backing away. "Thanks for the reminder. I almost forgot I need to get everything ready for the long drive, so I'll need to reschedule for our next hangout."

"Wait, before you go…."

"Yeah?"

Right when Michael was a foot out the front door, Tulip called him out to him. The young man's eyes bulged, trying to keep his nose from bleeding as Tulip's hand was raised over her opened mouth, moving in an erotic motion while sticking her tongue out.

"It's nothing serious, or anything, but if you want some release and your girl isn't giving it to you, then you know where to find me," Tulip offered in an arousing tone, looking at him with half-lidded eyes.

"…I'll consider it," Michael weakly nodded as he stepped out and slowly closed the door.

Standing behind the wooden frame, Michael gave a long sigh to calm his body and his very manhood that bricked up in his jeans. Peeking through the window, Michael glanced at the redhead, her eyes catching him as she raised an amused brow that matched her grin.

Looking forward, Michael ran for the concrete stairwell and headed straight home. The moment he was at a safe distance, his nerves finally relaxed.

Seriously! What is with all these girls wanting to screw me? If I had that kind of luck in high school, I'd probably be the luckiest Chad on Earth. Other than receiving an apocalyptic forecast and leaving unmolested with a case of blue balls, this has been the most productive day of your life. You didn't find what you were looking for, but it's a start. Now, all you have to do is take the girls to the county fair and act like everything is normal without worrying about the existential crisis of an impending apocalypse befalling your world. Yep, keep the girls close and happy, and then hope for a better tomorrow.

As Michael headed down the pathway, his expression slid into a slight depression. He gave himself a comical flap to the face, and his mood quickly changed, his lips curling into a cheery smile.

Don't dwell on the bad. Think about the good. Besides, it's all hypothetical, and if Tulip got her hands on some government-grade doodad, then we might get some good results. I mean, something like that's not going to fall from the sky. It's not like those government agents from before aren't going to show up right in the fairgrounds when me and the girls least expect it. I may be paranoid, but even that sounds too far fetch to happen, right?

Meanwhile, a man in a black business suit strolled through a sterilized hallway at an undisclosed location. The clicking heels of his dress shoes echoed across the checkered floors while the fluorescent lighting beamed off his sunglasses. He was in a hospital, but not at the same time. While there were indeed doctors and nurses, there were also men in the same outfit conversing with people in militarized gray uniforms, armed with high-grade rifles.

Turning right, the man in black strolled into one of the infirmaries. The soldiers on guard moved out of the way, saluting him. He didn't salute back.

Standing in the middle of the room, a young doctor with blonde hair was attending to two beds at once, both occupied and fully equipped. The men under wraps were covered head-to-toe in a ridiculous amount of gauze and body casts-a look befitting of patients in a comedy film. When the unnerved doctor noticed the man in black's foreboding presence, having finished fluffing her charge's pillows, her steadfast disposition drastically changed, a tint of fear in her eyes as beads of sweat dripped from her brow. She bowed her head, unable to look the man in the eye.

"Mr. Jones! Sir! I didn't think you would be…."

The doctor was cut off as the agent, Mr. Jones, slithered past, making his way to the two patients, hands crossed behind his back. The icy stare he gave behind his frames furrowed, shifting from the physician to the beds. His shoulder grazed against hers, the eerie feel of ice quickly consuming the anxious young woman, garnering all her strength to turn around and face her superior.

"Spare me your banter and give me your report," demanded Mr. Jones, his tone a little horsed. "What is the status of these two agents? You wrote in your update that they've regained consciousness. Is that correct?"

The doctor rapidly nodded, stammering, "Y-yes, sir. Well, Agent 47 is the most conscious of the two, so far. Agent 178 can hear and see, but he is unable to speak at the moment. He hasn't fully recovered from being shocked a thousand volts from his own cattle prod, and it m-might take him much longer to recover."

"I see. You have done your duty and are now excused, doc. Now, leave us. I need to have a word with our guests." The agent waved his hand as the doctor complied, excusing herself and bolting out without looking back.

The intimidating agent walked over and lowered his head, glaring down at one of the bodies.

"Hello, Agent 47. It's your old friend, Mr. Jones. I'm here to ask two questions and the answers you give better make me happy," he sneered. His eerie smile made the bedridden agent quake. "Tell me who did this to you and why I shouldn't kill you right away for your failure?"

Granted, he knew the first answer. His men have been gathering all sorts of info but getting it from the horse's mouth added more context. Anger began welling up in his stomach. Mr. Jones habitually combed both hands through his chestnut brown hair before taking a deep, calming breath, not once ruining his perfect slick back hairdo. He then grabbed a remote and hit the button to readjust his subordinate's seating, lights covering the frame of his shades as his figure turned silhouette.

Agent 47 started sweating in his body cast, unwillingly staring face-to-face with his superior. "It was some local within Boone, North Carolina. After we tracked down the breach and proceeded with extraction, grabbing a girl with magical paper powers, the guy jumped right in front of our van, and the next thing we knew, we were in a fistfight with a guy who fights like an MMA fighter on an adrenaline high. Agent 178 and I tried getting the upper hand, but this kid…this freak didn't back down and took us out. The anger in his eyes, the bloodlust emanating from his body. He used my partner like a human shield, receiving the end of my cattle prod, and then broke my arms and legs like they were nothing but toothpicks.

"If we had been better prepared, gathered more intel, we might have stood a better chance. But seeing as that's not a good enough excuse, I'll take full responsibility as head of the mission."

"That's all I needed to hear. Thank you," Mr. Jones said as he exited the infirmary, his smile disappeared.

The guards on standby listened in on the recap and waited for orders, guns ready.

The ominous agent stopped in the middle of the doorway and didn't face the guards, the eyes behind his glasses filled with a dreadful menace. "Prepare for sanitization and kill those two motherfuckers. Their fiasco reflects poorly upon all of us, and we cannot afford another screwup. the next time they fail, the greater the chance it will put everything we built in jeopardy, and that is the sort of incompetency we cannot tolerate within the agency. So, make an example out of them and then get ready, you and the captain will be rolling out in 1700 hours."

One of the guards nodded, and the two marched into the infirmary. The sounds of gunfire and screams leaked through the locked door as Mr. Jones strolled down the sterilized corridor. All the doctors and guardsmen moved away and gave him ample space to walk, exchanging glances, the look of terror plastered on their faces. The man in black paid them little to no mind, having more important tasks to deal with tonight.

The county fair was in town, and with a slight chuckle, he couldn't wait for the fun to begin.

"Okay, girls. You ready to go?"

Anne and Luz followed Michael as they stepped out onto the driveway. While the Latina wore the same jacket and shorts, the Thai woman had a quick makeover, wearing a beige midriff top with a short denim skirt that complimented her brown knee-high boots and pearl earrings. A little head turner she bought online, Anne tried showing her new outfit to the young man, but he was single-mindedly focused on something else, much to her annoyance.

Michael grabbed the knob, and with some elbow grease, he opened the garage door and strolled inside. Perplexed looks were exchanged as Michael had his hand on the roof of the mildly cumbersome Cadillac car, the very one that nearly got the girls killed during their scavenger hunt through the junkyard.

Anne eyed the young man, arms crossed, "Wait? You want us to get into your grandpa's car, especially with what happened last time?"

"Yeah, but I decided to make an exception. Today, this will be our chariot to the county fair," Michael grinned.

Michael hopped into the red Cadillac, turned on the ignition, and drove it out of the garage. A finger touched a button, and the sunroof slid away.

Pursing her lips, Anne shrugged and proceeded to leap over the door to the passenger seat. "Ah, to hell with it. If that's how it's going to be, Fairy Godmother, then this princess is calling shotgun. Though, Luz, you can sit in the back if that's alright with you."

"Fine by me. It beats getting bombarded by another gnat swarm," Luz snickered and made her way to the backseat.

Anne shot the witch-in-training but brushed it off, beaming forward with anticipation.

(Playing: You will know our names ~ Xenoblade Chronicles 2)

Michael smiled. "Alright, now that everyone is fastened in their seats, it's time to roll out!"

With a swift kick to the accelerator and a quick maneuver at the gear stick, Michael shifted the car in reverse, moved out of the driveway, and drove onto the dirt road, the tires leaving behind a red dust cloud. The girls cheered and screamed excitedly as the car's speed was approximately at Tokyo drift-level of fast pedestrians moving out of the way.

"Next stop, the county fair!"

(Music stops)

As the sun descended and the evening sky hung overhead, the red Cadillac zigzagged across the pass of the Blueridge Mountains. The very same road Anne and Luz drove through on their little escapade. The thick mist drifting along the ridge was ever-present-a breathtaking scenery.

Michael kept both hands on ten and two, a blue shadow casting over his eyes in dismay. His speed had decelerated, regretting going at high speed. He made sure to watch out for law enforcement while maintaining his speed. A speeding ticket was one thing, but getting caught with a broken headlight was another. Sadly, that's not what was eating him.

Anne eyed Michael, the car stuck in a pendulum of acceleration and deceleration, matching his ambivalence. "Are you okay?"

Michael gawked out of the windshield, his body nearly hawkish. He tried to concentrate on the road, pouring all of his attention while tuning out any distraction, but the way Anne clutched his shoulder and violently shook snapped him out of his funk, briefly turning to her and then back at the wheel.

"I'm fine, Anne. Just fine," Michael whimpered in a low voice as he made a left for downtown, carefully squeezing through the cars in the shopping district, each one parked on both sides of the road.

Anne arched a brow, looking at the young man skeptically. The young woman shrugged and turned back to the rural scenery. In the back, Luz huffed and stared out the window, bored out of her mind but not for long as she saw a small roller coaster poking in the distance.

Half an hour later, the ride got bigger every moment as the car sped past Boone and towards a now-packed lot on the other side.

"That's the county fair?!" Luz called from the backseat, leaning forward.

Anne looked out and smiled in disbelief as rows of stands and rides covered the grassy plot, almost stretching about two miles long.

"When you said it was a county fair, I was picturing a hoedown at a barn, but you guys really went all out on this," Anne beamed, stars sparkling in her eyes.

Michael's angst had slipped away, and he smiled. "You actually think we would be like those county fairs you see in the movies? As if! Here, in Boone, when we throw a county fair, every town in Watauga pitches in. we make it fun in the evening, and it'll be even better at night."

The car sped on until it reached the grassy parking space. A few twists and turns and they were parked. Doors opened, and bodies leaped out. Luz was the last of the three to get out, moving her limbs and stretching the knot out of her back, a groan escaped, and both arms raised, forming a capital Y.

"Praise the sun! That drive was torture!" Luz complained.

Michael shot her a look. "Luz, we were only in the car for 30 minutes! Haven't you been on long drives before with your mom longer than that?"

"Not since I was six," Luz said with an aggravated edge, having one hand at the hip while tilting her head.

Anne stepped closer, and Michael looked at her. All of his worries melted when she reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Hon, it's okay. We're here now, so let's enjoy the fair before all the games are used up," Anne reassured as Michael nodded and led the group to the ticket booth, the line being surprisingly short.

After purchasing the twenty-dollar minimum for admissions, the group strolled in and gazed at the whole setup. Tents ran to the right and left of them while encompassing a large plot of dirt and grassy land, the very divide that split the other cities in the entire county. Mechanical rides filled the view, the two big attractions being the roller coaster and the Ferris wheel. Many people walked about, food and drinks in their hands. The scent of barbeque and funnel cake washed over the trio, growling stomachs reminding them that none had eaten all day.

(Die Young ~ Kesha)

Michael reached his free hand over and grabbed Luz, his eyes looking at her and Anne. "Well, girls. What are we waiting for? I promised you two a fun time, and when Michael makes a promise, he damn sure keeps it!"

Anne and Luz stumbled as Michael led the way, and the montage of fun and excitement initiated.

The young man pulled the pair and got them something to eat. Anne and Luz's hazel and amber eyes sparkled at the beautiful picture of grilled meats and vegetables stacked throughout the polka-dotted clothed tables when they reached the food stands.

Michael pulled out his wallet and took out ten dollars. He handed it to the people at the booth, and after Anne and Luz looked at the pictures hanging over, the man behind the counter brought their plates, a shrimp po boy for Anne and a turkey leg for Luz. The young man parted his lips to get his order in but could not, as the sight of his friends savagely eating was quite a show. The two scarfed their food down until it was all gone, like a pair of hungry wolves gnawing at the carcass of their most recent kill.

Mouths agape, Michael and the man running the booth could not take their eyes away. When the girls asked for more, Michael sighed, removed his wallet again, and handed over the exact amount. Despite his previous flabbergast, the man smiled, prepared two more plates, and handed it to Anne and Luz's greedy hands. The girls took their time this time, taking smaller bites and savoring each. Michael saw his chance and gently took the two by the arm, and after receiving his order (that is, a cheeseburger with fries), the young man pulled his friends away from the barbeque grill.

After the three finished their meals, the throuple quickly stepped through the groups of people until they reached a game booth. Giant stuffed animals of different shapes and colors hung around the edges. A flock of wooden ducks with targets moved mechanically in a circular pattern, the operator turning the hand crank to move the chain underneath the stands. Laying on the counter were three hunting rifles, each given three bullets signifying the shooter's try.

Luz was hesitant to go, but with some encouragement from Michael and Anne, the witch-in-training gave it a go. Michael paid the lady behind the booth, and Luz picked up the rifle, her grip shaking as she aimed, cocked the hammer, and fired. Luckily, she hit her moving target, which wasn't a person. Luz faced her friends, ecstatic to get a shot on the first try. Michael and Anne ducked for cover, along with everyone in a twenty-foot radius, the Latina unintentionally pointing the rifle forward. That was Michael's cue to grab Luz, get her prize, and hurry out of there before causing another disruption.

From shared dancing on a wooden platform to going on the roller coaster while holding onto their lunch to finally getting a photo taken together (the last picture of the two girls kissing both of the young man's cheeks), Anne, Luz, and Michael did everything together until the sun finally set. The starry night sky loomed over the county fair. Suffice it to say, the three certainly had the time of their lives, and neither wanted it to end.

(Music ends)

The fun was ending as Michael wanted to rest on a bench, catching a breather. That didn't last as Anne and Luz rushed to the young man, blazing with excitement, grabbed both hands, and lifted them up as the pair and dragged him across the grassy lawn.

"Oh, come on, girls! I've been all my feet all night. Can't at least have a minute to myself before…?" Michael could barely finish his sentence as he protested before Anne and Luz carried him by the shoulders and in the opposite direction, unbothered by the inertia of his feet skidding on the dirt.

"No can do, babe. One of my all-time fantasies is a romantic ride on a Ferris wheel, and you're going to make that happen," Anne countered.

"Besides, it's going to be so much fun!" Luz cheered with stars in her eyes. "You have to come with us, and we're not taking 'no' for an answer!"

Michael fought to maintain his balance as the duo scurried. When Michael regained his equilibrium, the trio stood at the bottom of the Ferris wheel. Luz looked up with bright eyes, admiring the machine's magnificent splendor, while Anne was mildly amused. Despite it being half the size of the one at Coney Island, it still upheld a similar aesthetic design. Neon lights danced with myriad colors along the metal edges, giving it an almost hypnotic trance.

When it was Michael and his friends' turn, Luz slipped a few bucks from his pocket and gave it to the operator. A trick she learned from her mentor and the most prominent con artist in the Boiling Isles. The man gave the three an awkward stare, then smiled. Michael was aggravated when he received a thumbs up like he was king on Earth for having two lovely ladies in each arm. Anne and Luz quickly brought Michael into a vacant cage pod, much to his attempted protests, closed the metal door, and sat side to side across from him before being lifted high up as the machine rotated in an instant.

"You know, this is my first time being on a Ferris wheel!" Luz confessed with an exciting tone. "We don't really have stuff like this back in Gravesfield!"

Michael looked around, his anxieties beginning to flare. The man couldn't stand heights. It was his most profound shame. The roller coaster ride was a test to his fortitude. Even when he cleaned the gutters, he had to close his eyes while standing on a ladder, but that's a story for another time.

Anne glanced down at Michael's bouncing knee, and her smile dimmed slightly. "Dude. Are you okay?"

Michael hesitated to answer her as his cracked lips parted. The cage rocking didn't help his nerves. The young man's fingers latched onto the metal safety bar that pushed onto their laps. The cold evening air blasting through helped calm him down enough to turn and face the concerned Thai woman finally.

"I'm…okay. Not really…a fan of heights," Michael kept his composure together as he tried to speak up, his voice cracking dryly.

"No kidding. You're paler than that pervy ghost still haunting the girl's locker room at Hexside. Eda didn't get rid of all of them," Luz stated while looking at Michael, placing a hand on his forehead to take his temperature.

"Well, one surefire way to overcome a phobia is to distract yourself. Since we're up here, we can pass the time talking before getting down. You know like you telling us why you've been acting so weird all day, Michael," Anne said with a threatening edge as she leaned closer, making Michael nervous. "We're not blind, Michael. We know something's up with you. So, spill it. Give us the deets and I won't make this a second go around."

Michael shuttered. "You wouldn't dare."

Anne grinned wickedly.

"Try me."

Michael shook off his inhibitions and mustered all of his strength. He looked Anne in the eyes, Luz listening as well, though not sure what was happening. His friend and lover had backed him into a corner he couldn't escape, so what point was there to keep lying to her?

"I've been talking to this…friend of mine who's been studying the breaches, helping me understand why you guys are here. Unfortunately, I found out that the breaches are getting bigger and if nothing's done about it, we might be dealing with the end of my world as we know it. and, believe me, I don't feel fine," Michael gave about the half-truth, leaving out some non-essential, less jealousy-prone details as Anne and Luz drank in the information, their faces turning just as pale and anxiety-stricken as his own.

"Woah, man. That is heavy," Anne stated, rubbing her temples.

Luz stammered. "A-are you sure they said the world was ending? Could it be a mistake?"

Michael nodded as he lowered his head. "Well, my friend said it was hypothetical. They don't have enough data, nor the right equipment, to come to a proper conclusion, but that's the gist of it. something about an influx of tachyon particles and a disturbance in the time-space continuum? All I can say is that I have no idea what to do and it's scares me."

Michael's gaze turned to face Anne as he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. The young woman stared warmly at him. A smile cracked on her mouth, but her hazel eyes glistened livelier. She leaned in and kissed him tenderly, biting his lower lips in a tease before pulling back. Grabbing his head, it was Luz's turn as she planted a long wet one, her black lipstick staining his lips.

The young man was surprised, but he went along with it. While the pair loved his tough and macho self, there was something about Michael showing his vulnerable side that got their motors running.

"It's okay, hon. Whatever's coming at us, whatever threat is affecting your world, we'll face it head on with you," Anne lovingly said while holding his hand tight.

Luz nestled into the young man's chest, smiling. "You're not alone in this, Mikey. Luz and I dealt with world ending scenarios and when the time comes, we'll show you how we handled it."

Michael smiled, wrapping his arms around before hugging his friends. "Thanks guys. I needed that pep talk."

"We're always here when you need more," Anne giggled.

The ride ended as Michael, Anne, and Luz got off, walking over to the net attraction. As the three strolled across the lawn, a light show erupted in the sky, each going off in myriad lights. Anne and Luz gawked in awe and almost hopped before the young man.

"No way! You got fireworks!?" Anne smiled like a child waiting in line at the candy store.

"Like I told you before, the fun was getting better here," Michael reiterated as he and the girls watched; the spectacular light show attracted all patrons in one sitting.

Unbeknownst to the trio, the trap has just been sprung as all the workers left their stands, receiving instructions through the hidden piece in their ears.

"The target is preoccupied. Initiate Operation Pandora's Box. Time for the real show to begin," commanded the gruff voice on the other line.

One of the employees nodded, giving the signal. Each of them reached in and drew out a duffle bag, discarded their county fair uniforms, and donned something much more militaristic. With weapons and equipment in hand, a small platoon got into position.

Michael noticed this, alerting his two friends. "What the hell?"

A group of men and women formed a rough circle around the trio. Talking and laughing carried on with the festival atmosphere, but many men and women stood, their visor-covered faces glaring daggers in Michael, Anne, and Luz's direction.

Knowing he saw enough, that was enough to get Michael in a fighting stance, eyes hardened and fists raised. The uniformed soldiers got closer and pointed their rifles, ready to fire at the wrong movement. Anne and Luz did the same as Michael, bending her knees with fists cocked while the other reached for her card pouch, preparing to draw. The crowd turned their attention away from the fireworks and at the standoff, not knowing whether this was part of the show.

"Anne, we can't take these guys on. When I give the signal, you…" Michael was cut off as a man with a roadmap of scars across his face, and a matching uniform marched toward him, his badges on his chest signifying rank.

"Now, there's no need for this to get messy, son. Our business isn't with you but with those two young ladies behind you. So, walk away and hand them over…" the old man began before a quick sucker punch appeared, cocking back and landing a fast blow.

The commander had the air out of him as Michael struck him precisely in the chest in the blink of an eye. The Kevlar vest absorbed much of the blow, but not enough to stop a surge of pain, either from the impact or from the cracked ribs, spread throughout. Enough to throw his body back and hit the dirt floor. The commander was down, but not for the count, the young man placing a foot on his already injured chest.

The crowd around them was stunned until all the soldiers in the public cocked their rifles and pistols. Chaos and bedlam erupted throughout the county fair as visitors bolted away from the armed army on the grassy knoll.

Michael rubbed his bloodied knuckles before getting back into position. Running was no longer an option. He could see that now, so he could only stand his ground. Anne and Luz joined in, facing back-to-back, huddling up together.

The uniformed men and women aimed their weapons as they surrounded the three youngsters, the visors on their faces hiding their malicious intent.

Like hell, I'll hand my friends over to you, assholes! If you want them, you'll have to go through me!" Michael roared fiercely and prepared for the fight of his life.

A/N: Hey, everyone. This is Kman134. I'm here with a new chapter of "Intruders from the Other Side." This one was a doozy because other than a date chapter, it was also an exposition, big revelations, and "reveal the bad guy" sort of a chapter. This also provides screen time for Tulip since she hasn't been around since chapter 6. I needed to get some stuff down before moving on and not having to droll through the story. Also, two chapters are left (again, not counting the epilogue), and I'm currently planning them out (I'm not a machine. I can't pop stories out on a dime). Anyways, I hope you enjoy it and leave as many reviews.