Betrayal. There was no lower offense that man could stoop to. Enemies could hurt you, sure. They could take things from you, as things had been taken from him. They could break you. Kill you. That was the nature of enemies. But only friends could betray you. And Lukas Carmichael had been betrayed.

Rain poured from the sky as though every angel in heaven were grieving along with the man standing in the graveyard, staring at the pristine new headstone and fresh dirt. The funeral had been elaborate, perhaps a bit excessive. Lukas knew his beloved Elena would not have wanted a big fuss. She probably would have preferred the backyard next to Oscar, rather than some fancy grave. She’d loved that old dog.

Fresh tears ran down the man’s face at this thought, but no one would have noticed it. Lukas was drenched. His man had offered him an umbrella, but he’d refused. Instead, he’d stood there letting the rain wash over him, hoping it would cleanse away the guilt that wracked his soul.

He’d stayed after the funeral and watched as the coffin was sealed away beneath the ground forever. She had been innocent, something pure in an otherwise tarnished world. She didn’t deserve this.

Lukas hadn’t even gotten to say goodbye. Her lifeless body had already begun to cool by the time he’d found her. She had been taken from him, all because he had gotten careless.

He balled his hands into fists as he turned and walked back to the limo that was waiting patiently. He did not have time to wallow in his self-deprecation. There were things to be done, and he could delay them no longer. He stepped into the vehicle and arrived back at his manor in short order.

Lukas had done extremely well for himself. He’d taken the money and skills he’d developed from Gamus and turned them into a veritable empire. Currently, he was one of the primary shareholders of three Fortune 500 companies, one of which he started with Alexander. He had money and power to spare, and it all amounted to nothing.

Lukas had not been able to stop his wife from dying. He had not been able to stop his daughter from being taken.

Lukas sank into a leather armchair facing the fireplace and pulled out a crumpled roll of parchment from his jacket, unfurling and reading it for what felt like the millionth time.

Lukas,

My sympathies for Elena’s passing. She was dear to me as well and that is not the outcome I would have wanted. I will have flowers sent on my behalf. That being said, we need to look to the future rather than an unchangeable past.

As you’ve no doubt noticed, I have temporarily taken possession of little Anya. Please do not worry. She is being well cared for and is uninformed of recent unpleasantries. I figured that was something she needed to hear from you directly.

Lukas, we need to meet. I have a mutually beneficial business proposition for you that you will definitely want to hear. Take two weeks. Bury your wife. Collect your wits. Then meet me in Siren.

You have always been a man of rationality, rather than emotion. Don’t let that change now.

Sincerely yours,

A.

His first impulse had of course been to rush through the nearest gate after his daughter. Little Anastasia was his whole world now that Elena had passed. Even now, he had to restrain himself from leaping up and running back out into the storm.

Impulsive decisions and rash actions would not help Anya now. He could be the loving, overprotective, doting father when she was back in his arms. Right now, she needed something different. She needed the ruthless, intelligent, calculating alchemist who had built an empire across worlds. She needed the man Lukas had killed ten years ago.

Gamus. The world that the early planeswalkers such as himself had taken to calling Siren, due to its deadly allure. He’d thought he was done with that awful place. He should have been done with it. The rage began to bubble up again, but he quashed it. The time would come…but it was not now.

He’d been drawn to the gates when they appeared that first day. The simple stone archways had intricate carvings all over them, written in a language unlike anything he’d ever seen. The rippling space inside the arch had called to him, beckoning him to his destiny. That had been how it felt anyway.

He’d soon learned the truth. The world on the other side of the gate was beautiful. Only a fool would deny that. It was also deadly.

Lukas was unsure exactly how many had made it through the gates in the initial selection. Not everyone could become a planeswalker, apparently, but on a planet of eight billion people even less than one percent numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Luckily, many of those had better sense than him.

Even so, tens of thousands passed through those gates before governments around the world had locked them down. Less than five thousand had survived the first year.

Lukas rose from his chair. He’d put this off long enough. It was time to prepare. He made his way to the library, his thoughts still on that first year on Gamus. Whatever forces governed the multiverse had deemed that year a trial period. Apparently, that was common for new planeswalkers. The gates would allow entry, but once you walked through, you could not leave until the trial ended.

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The result had been inevitable. By the time the gates reopened, thousands had died, victims of their own curiosity. Of the few that survived, they returned to their world different. Damaged. Once the blinders of ignorance had been removed, they could never be put back.

Lukas strode over to the section of his library detailing war strategy. He’d thought that a fitting hiding place, considering the nature of Gamus. He had all of the classics, of course: The Prince, Vom Kriege, The Art of War. Many more lined the shelf in front of him, but it was one in particular he was looking for. Oddly enough, this was the only book that did not directly deal with strategy. It was an old military handbook detailing CBRNE response tactics.

Lukas removed the book and reached behind it, feeling for something. When he found it, there was a click, and the bookshelf shifted forward, revealing a seam. He pulled on it gently and it swung open. He had always been a fan of the classics and could not refrain from building a bookshelf door when he’d first created this room.

Behind the door was a short hallway which terminated in an eight-foot tall safe. Lukas approached the safe with mixed emotions. The steel door before him was the last barrier. Beyond it were the remains of a life he’d tried to forget. Even so, he did not hesitate, punching in a long series of numbers into the keypad. The number existed in two places: The locking mechanism of the keypad, and his head.

When the last number was entered, there was a series of loud clicks, and a whoosh as the hermetic seal on the room was broken for the first time in a decade. A single light flickered to life as the safe door swung open. The room beyond was bigger than expected, with room for one person to move around in.

On the back wall, there were three shelves. The top shelf held a series of weapons, all custom-made by an old acquaintance. The middle shelf contained a single, not insignificantly sized chest, the key to which was currently around Lukas’ neck. The final shelf contained an old, but well-maintained briefcase.

On the wall to the right hung a series of tailored suits and other assorted clothing, cut in odd fashions. He would be taking all of it with him.

It was the wall to the left that gave him pause. Built into that wall was a small, state-of-the-art cooler. At first glance, it was really nothing special considering the other contents of the room. What was inside of it, however, was another matter entirely.

It had been a different Lukas that had installed the cooler, one who believed in true nightmares and worst-case scenarios. The installation had been the easy part, however. Getting his hands on the contents had been much more difficult, even with his status as a known biochemist and first-tier planeswalker. It had taken him months, but he had finally succeeded.

Now, Lukas was faced with the reality of the contingency plan he never intended to enact. Was he really prepared to follow in the footsteps of people like Oppenheimer and Kalashnikov, spreading a new form of death throughout the multiverse? When it came to the safety of his daughter, yes. He was. Besides, that hellhole of a planet already had innumerable ways to die on a catastrophic level. What was one more?

Lukas grabbed the unused set of baggage on the floor beneath the shelves and began meticulously packing all of the safe’s contents. Two long, wicked-looking daggers went on his belt, just in case. He was taking no chances.

Once everything was packed away and the room resealed behind the bookcase, Lukas called for Walter, his personal assistant, bodyguard, and only real friend left in the world.

“Have the staff carefully put these bags in the Bronco,” he said quietly. “Then meet me in the parlour. I have a few important things to discuss with you.”

Walter nodded without a word and set about his task. Lukas had always appreciated that about the man. Walter was a man of action, just like him. Turning, he made his own way to the parlour to wait. He was not kept waiting long.

“Everything is packed and ready to go, sir,” Walter said as he entered the room, closing the sliding door behind him. “When do we leave?”

“Sit down, Walter. Please,” Lukas gestured to the winged armchair opposite his own. This time there was a reaction from the man, even as he sat: confusion. Lukas often conducted important business meetings in this room and Walter had been privy to almost all of them, but he had never been the man in the chair. Lukas smiled. He was going to miss the stoic bastard.

“Walt,” he began, using the informal address to let the man across from him know he was talking to a friend, not his assistant. “They took them from me. Both of them.”

Walter did not respond to this, knowing there was more to follow.

“They killed Elena, and they stole my little girl,” this time there was a hard edge in Lukas’ voice. He saw the light dawn in Walter’s eyes now.

“You know who did it.”

It was a statement. Lukas had not shared the letter with anyone, unsure of who he could trust after being betrayed by his best friend. But he had seen the fire in Walter’s eyes when they’d found Elena dead and Anya missing. He’d seen the man working tirelessly to drum up some kind of lead about who was responsible. He’d seen the loyalty, and he had decided to reward it. Besides, if he was wrong, it’s not like he’d be around to regret the choice.

“I know who did it,” Lukas confirmed, continuing before Walter could interrupt. “I am going to get Anya back, Walt. And then I am going to kill them all.”

He saw something harden in Walter’s eyes then: resolve.

“As I said, sir: when do we leave?”

There was hunger and barely restrained rage behind Walter’s clenched teeth. Lukas knew then that he was making the right choice.

“We aren’t, Walt.”

At first, Walter looked confused. Then the meaning behind the statement set in and Lukas could see the hurt in his friend’s eyes.

“Luke, please…I know I failed to protect them-”

“No.”

The word was kind, but firm, ending the argument before it started.

“None of it was your fault, Walt,” Lukas continued. “You have only ever been a good friend to me, and to my family. What happened was my fault, and mine alone.”

Lukas held up a finger as Walter began to protest again.

“I am sorry, but I cannot and will not argue with you about this. There’s simply no time for it.”

Walter quieted at this, but Lukas could see in his eyes that he was not done protesting. Had the situation not been so serious, he would have smiled then.

“As far as you coming, Walt, I’m afraid it’s simply not possible,” Lukas continued quickly before he lost his resolve. The truth was, he wanted his friend with him.

“Why not?”

“First, because where I go, you cannot follow. But, more importantly, because I need you here.”

This statement seemed to have finally given Walter some pause. Lukas took advantage of that to pull two documents from his briefcase.

“Walter. I am naming you my legal power of attorney and executor of my estate, effective immediately,” Lukas watched the shock roll over Walter’s face like a tidal wave. The man was so stunned that he did not even respond, so Lukas continued.

“All that I have, including the companies that I own, are now in your care. If, within five years, I have not returned, you are to have me declared legally dead and assume ownership.”

Now Lukas thought Walter might actually faint. It made sense. Lukas was entrusting him with a lot, but he could think of no one he trusted more.

“I have contacted Marie, of course. She helped me draft everything up, and will make herself available to aid you during this transition.”

Lukas smiled now. This was the last task he needed to complete. He was now free to go and get his daughter.

“Oh, and Walt? She’s intelligent, beautiful, and available. Don’t screw it up.”

With that said, Lukas left the room with a still stunned Walter in his wake.