“Well, for starters, Kyle. You shot me,” Sagan snapped. Hard to look pissed in a bikini and shorts, but she managed.

Kyle stared at the forge, soaking in the sight of it in the morning light. Tomorrow, Jack and the new government left with the mobile units to restore order to the new world. Six, Colton, Smith, and Cypher prepped Iron Hope and Molly for their long journey.

And Kyle came to say goodbye to his baby. But also to beg Sagan for a favor. “Look, it’s my sisters. I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t about family.”

Hands on hips, bottom lip between her teeth, and a tapping foot. This went as bad as he expected. She asked the right question, “How do you know they’ll be there?”

“Unlike you chumps, I told my siblings about the world ending.” She glared at him. He held her off with placating hands. “I taught them to fight and everything. We had a plan. Once it started, they’d go to the nearest center without creeps, and I would find a way to contact them.”

“Was the State Capitol the nearest center?”

“I’m sure that’s where they ended up. But it’s real hard for me to get there on my own, obviously.” He tossed his hands up. “And now I can’t even take the train cause I’ll be in Egypt.” He put all the puppy-dog he could into his eyes. “Please, Sagan. I just wanna bring them here where it’s safe.”

She groaned. “Fine.” He sighed in relief until she shoved a finger in his face. “But I’m giving you an hour.”

“That’s fine. I’ll find them. So… I haven’t done this without drugs in my system—”

He could tell he grated on her nerves by the tone in her voice, “You’re on drugs, now.”

“—I mean nacre sedatives. Do I have to hold your hand or something?”

She gripped his shoulder and walked through the Seam before he realized what was happening. He caught the shadow of a monochromatic grand hall between conduits. “You can actually go into that place?” An entire world they couldn’t step into. He peered around the green lawns of the state monument.

“Fifty-nine minutes, Kyle.” After the snark, Sagan took the time to look around. Tents everywhere. Buildings with the fronts blown off. The flags gone, statues covered in laundry, and an enormous pile of furniture used for a bonfire most likely to celebrate V-Day. “Wow.”

“Yea… home sweet home.” Kyle left her to walk around. Was there a registry somewhere? A guide? Anything? A teenager walked by. “Hey, man.”

“Hey, mister.”

Kyle frowned. “Mister? I’m at most three years older than you.”

“Yea, and?”

He closed his eyes and counted to ten. Jokes about disrespectful whipper-snappers ran through his pot-addled brain. Calming down, he asked, “How do I find somebody? You know, if they came here when it all started?”

“Oh. Yea. Come with me.” The teen waved for him to follow.

“What’s your name?”

“Dylan. You?”

“Kyle.”

They entered the marble rotunda. Kyle pointed at the entryway. “Hey, weren’t there like gold doors or something?”

“Yea.” Dylan nodded over to the pile of gold shields on the floor.

The Progeny held out his fist. “Niiiice.”

Dylan bumped it, and they were officially best friends. “Hey, that woman that came with you?”

“Yea?”

Dylan went a little rosier in the cheeks. Kyle stifled a grin as the teen asked, “She seeing anybody?”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

His laughter echoed throughout the three story rotunda. He rested a reassuring hand on Dylan’s shoulder as the teenager’s face fell. “She is seeing two somebodies. And believe me, it’s more complicated than you can imagine.”

“Ahem.”

“Fuck, she’s behind me, isn’t she?”

Gawking, the teen nodded.

“Have you found Ross and Bethany yet?” Sagan’s voice sounded harder than usual.

“Ross?” Dylan asked, his curiosity piqued.

“You know my sister?”

Again with the blushing.

“Now hold on a damned minute.” Kyle went into a stern talking-to, when Ross cried out from above.

“Kyle!”

He bolted around Sagan to take the slippery stairs two at a time. His sister met him on the second floor. While they hugged, he pressed his lips to her wavy brown hair. The sixteen-year-old girl squeezed tighter than he remembered.

Then without preamble, he shoved a nacre in his sister’s hand. “I want you to swallow this right now. Don’t make a show of it. Just—”

“I already have one.”

He shut his mouth and let her finish.

“We all do, now. Is that bad?”

He kissed her forehead and heaved a sigh of relief. “No, no, it’s wonderful.”

“Ew, please stop.” She rubbed her forehead with her sleeve. Her face contorted suddenly into panic. “Bethany—”

Kyle closed his eyes tight against the news he didn’t want to hear. When Ross started to cry, he opened them again. “It’s okay, Ross. I know you did what you could.”

“They took her. I don’t know where.”

He pulled his sister back into his arms and this time he held on too tight.

“We could find her,” Sagan said from the stairs.

Ross wiped the tears from her hazel eyes and pulled away to look at her. “How?”

“Yea, Sagan. How?!”

“Well, they took her alive, right? Like the others?”

“Yes.”

“They took them for a reason, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s gone. We could find out.”

“Can I talk to you alone for a minute?” Kyle dragged Sagan off into a courtroom. Once the door clicked shut he growled, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“Kyle, you can’t let her lose hope.”

“For four months we didn’t exactly live in a world that cultivated hope.”

She jabbed a finger at his chest. “No, you didn’t. The last time you lost faith, Xelan lost his life, and Rayne lost her virginity to a psychopath.”

“You can’t just tell a teenager girl—Wait, you know?”

Sagan’s face fell, and her voice grew soft. “Yea, don’t tell Rayne. I think keeping me in the dark helps her maintain some control over the situation after millions watched. I get it. And I don’t want you to hurt her by telling on me.”

He nodded. “Yea, sure. I can do that. But about my sister—”

“No. Let her have some faith.” She argued with exasperation, “Stranger things have happened in the last week alone. Korac might be able to help.”

Kyle ticked his points on his fingers. “A) He’s a piece of shit. B) He’s a piece of shit that’s going to prison. Forever.”

She grinned and patted his arm. “Leave that to me. Now get out there and give your sister a reasonable amount of faith and let’s head home.”

Dylan’s grubby hands were patting Ross’ back while she cried. The Progeny glared at him, willing the boy to look up. When he did, Kyle tossed his head to the side and mouthed, “Get. Lost.”

Sagan hugged his sister. That was cool. There were worse female role models. “Hey, how would you like to see Rayne, Tameka, and Andrew?”

Ross wiped her eyes some more. “This entire time, I kept thinking, ‘Wow, I know those people.’” She beamed. “You guys are superheros.”

Sagan waved Kyle over. He stepped in, knowing what comes next. But first, he pointed a finger over at Dylan, who lingered on the stairs. “Don’t think I’m done with you. I’m coming back—”

The forge smoldered beside them, and the smell in the air transitioned from floor polish to mountain summer.

Ross gasped, “Oh my god!”

Kyle groaned, “C’mon, Sagan. I was talking.”

She smirked down at his sister. “Don’t you think he talks too much?”

“All the time.” His sister rolled her eyes and everything.

Kyle scoffed, “I don’t have to listen to this betrayal. You know, there’s plenty of other people waiting to abuse me.”

Jack dropped a duffle full of clothes as he exited Iona. “Damn.” He grumbled to himself and sank to assess the mess.

“Let me help you,” Ross offered as she knelt on the concrete.

Jack glanced up at her, briefly, before doing a double-take. “I… uh… thank you.”

She smiled at him. “Sure.”

Sagan chuckled beside Kyle.

He barked, “What?”

She looked back at him with a smile that faded as she stared at his face. Violet eyes blinked. “You’re serious?”

“What. Is. It?”

“Your sister is gorgeous.” As he glared at her, she held up her hands. “I mean that in the least jailbait-y way possible. But she’s got glorious hair and eyebrows. Clear skin—improbable at her age. Your cheekbones, and someone else’s nose, fortunately. Then there’s her eyes… That’s what got Jack.”

“Got Jack what?”

Sagan gestured. “Look at them.”

The teenage boy kept his eyes diverted as he asked, “Uhm. Hey. You didn’t come in with the caravan, did you?”

“Nope. Sagan brought me. I’m Kyle’s sister, Ross.” She held out her hand.

Rayne’s little brother ignored Kyle’s little sister’s hand because the boy got lost staring into her eyes.

As if he suddenly realized he was holding a pair of his boxers, Jack threw them away from him. “…Sorry. Yea. I’m—” He stood with the clothes reloaded in the bag sans one pair of underwear. “I uh gotta get my stuff on the train. Nice to meet you.”

Jack had the good sense to walk off and leave Kyle’s sister the fuck alone. Smart.

Sagan whistled at him. The teenage boy looked over. She nodded at Ross and mouthed, “You. Got. This.”

Kyle snarled low, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Jack took a deep breath and about-faced. He announced proudly, “Hey! I’m Jack, King of Earth. Wanna check out my train?”

“Sure!” Ross followed him up the steps.

Sagan cackled beside Kyle.

“Son of a bitch!”