“Okay,” Margie said. “Game plan. We ask Markus if he wants to join us in this little mission, then we find a Scenario to throw ourselves at.”

Steven shrugged. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

Micheal hummed. “We should ask Morgan too. More the merrier when fighting monsters.”

Margie nodded as she pulled out her phone. “Fair enough.”

Morgan had ended up staying in a vacant home in Markus’s neighborhood after the challenge had ended. Her apartment had gotten destroyed in her first Scenario, so Markus had offered the house up, and no one else in the neighborhood had cared.

Steven didn’t fully trust the woman, but she had helped them when she didn’t have to, and Micheal wasn’t wrong. The more people to fight the Beasts, the better.

Margie's phone began to ring on speaker.

Markus picked up after a single ring. “Hello, Margie. What can I do for you?”

“Wanna kill some monsters?”

There was silence for a beat on the other end. Steven chuckled. Margie’s gift of getting to the point.

“Are you all in trouble? Where are you?”

“No, no, it’s not that. You saw the System announcement on the Beasts, right?”

“Yes.”

“We live a stone's throw from one of them.”

“Ah.”

“And the System has kindly informed us that we can barge into some Scenarios and start killing monsters.”

“Hmm. Alright. When and where.”

Micheal laughed and leaned toward the phone. “We can come to your house right now if that works?“

“Perfect. I’ll make some cookies.” He hung up.

Margie blinked. “Does that man always have cookie dough ready to be thrown into the oven at a moment's notice?”

Micheal cocked his head. “You know, that honestly wouldn’t surprise me.”

~<>~~<>~

They pulled up to Markus’s to find him sitting on his front porch, a travel mug in one hand and a plate of cookies next to him.

“God damn, you are good.” Micheal laughed.

Markus smiled as he climbed to his feet. “I try.”

His smile dropped slightly. “Before we go, do we want to ask Miss Smith if she would like to join us?”

Margie nodded. “Might as well. She probably won’t try to backstab us. If the girl wanted us dead, she wouldn’t have betrayed the Red Hand.”

Micheal nodded.

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Markus grabbed the plate of cookies and started walking. “Let’s go ask her then.

~<>~<>~

“Yes.” Morgan slammed the door.

Steven blinked. He wasn’t sure what response he’d been expecting, but it wasn’t that.

He exchanged looks with the others before the door flew back open, and Morgan stroud out, dressed in hiking boots, black pants, and a black snow coat.

“Just like that?” Steven asked.

She nodded. “Hell, yes. The Beasts have been worrying me. I hate having something just sit there as a silent threat. And I’m going to go insane if I spend any more time sitting on my hands. Let’s go.”

“Okay then.” Brusk, but Steven couldn’t really fault her. He’d also been feeling stir-crazy over the last week. The calm had been pleasant, but he always had a voice in the back of his head nagging at him. That he needed to do something, anything!

They headed for Margie’s truck.

Buford jumped in the back. Markus took shotgun while they pilled into the back with Micheal in the middle.

Noodle looked to the back, then to Steven, and gave him what he’d swear was a sneer. The dog jumped into his lap before laying down, managing to stretch himself over Micheal and Morgan in the process.

Steven frowned. “Wait a second.” The others glanced at him.

Steven pointed at Margie. “Margie.” He moved his finger across the car. “Markus. Micheal. Morgan.”

“You’re all M’s. What the heck!”

Morgan chuckled. “You can call me Del if it’s easier.”

Micheal arched a brow. “Del?”

“Delilah. Middle name.”

“Gotcha.”

She smiled, her dark eyes glinting. “I know it’s a granny name.”

Micheal raised his hands. "I wasn't going to say anything!"

Margie narrowed her eyes. “Hey now! Nothing wrong with granny names!”

Micheal waved her off. “Of course not Gam Gam. No one’s saying there is.”

“Noodle, bite him.”

Noodle grunted but didn’t move.

“It’s cause you called Buford your favorite,” Steven laughed. “He’s holding a grudge.”

Margie grumbled as they pulled onto the road.

“Anyone feel like pulling up the Scenario map?” She snapped.

Still laughing, Micheal lifted his hand. “I got it.” A moment later, a blue map appeared in front of him, like some kind of hologram.

Morg- no, Del and Steven jumped. “You can share the map screen with us?” Del asked.

“Apparently. All I had to do was think of it.”

They leaned in, staring at the breakdown of the city.

With a start, Steven realized it didn’t just show Scenarios.

Markus’s neighborhood had “owned by residents” over it and was outlined in white.

Several other regions had the same marking, but a few had different names. One in particular caught Steven's eye.

"The Roaming Ruckus."

Micheal blinked. "Wait, isn't that the guys who placed first in the contest?"

Steven nodded. "They took over a region, I guess."

Del frowned. "Look. Someone named "Walter and J has claimed four different regions. They're putting in some work as would-be conquerors."

"Walter and J?" Micheal scratched his chin. "Sounds like a bank more than a faction."

"Scenarios..." Steven trailed off as he stared at the map. "Definitely not the ones around JBER. If those have been going on for this long, then I don't even want to know what's going on inside them. My vote is on one of the recent ones."

Del pointed at a Scenario near Airport Heights, a neighborhood on the east side. "I've been looking at the Scenarios as they've popped up. That one is brand new."

Micheal shrugged. "Any objections?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Alright then.” Micheal cracked his knuckles. “Showtime.”