Kendall's immediate peers, Hasami and the Beaulieu's discounted, broke out into a frantic discussion, leaving the three of them as the only ones actually attempting to strategize. Other groups on the Anarchist's side were simply walking past and onto the battlefield.

Wasn't that surprising of a move to make, for Porter, I thought.

"Bye Kendall," I said, not loud enough for him to hear. He was arguing with Catherine now, and her brothers were making it hard for him to speak.

Ash, Odessa, and Anna followed with me as I joined the crowd. Stepping off the ramp and through the giant gateway, my feet touched down on soft grassy ground, and the environment became immediately apparent.

"It's Earth," Anna said. "A replica. I've even... I think I've been here. This is the lower city, not far from where I live..."

The Anarchists were pouring out into a large park, with fog thick as molasses gathered around us. I could see the outline of a swing set in the distance.

"Let's walk and talk," I said. "What is there to know about this place."

"Well, it's the Utopian homeworld, Earth One. I was privileged to live here... The uh, the map should only be one sectioned off city, the capital and empty landscape outside. The city is pretty much an onion, with layers, of residential areas, recreational areas, and shopping places. With some really scary droid tunnels, and some government buildings. Power should be offline, you know, because it's pretty much common sense that the Anarchists would need to disable robotics to have a prayer of winning."

We'd arrived. I sat down and started swinging.

"Pfft," Ash said, "I can swing higher than that. I'm a natural-born swinger."

Odessa was the only one left standing, in her enormous armor, when Anna grabbed a swing as well. We three creaked as we went.

"Goddammit," Ash said when Anna started swinging at the horizontal. We carried on for a couple minutes like that, arching at random.

I swung higher and jumped off, landed on my feet. Ash followed suit and stuck the landing. Anna tried, flew fifteen feet and landed on her feet, but stumbled into a fall. Ash snickered.

"Guys!" Kendall called. I waved him over because we were no doubt silhouettes in the fog to him. He jogged up and looked at Anna, who was getting up with a groan. "The objectives are in from orbital. We've got more time to set up because the story is that the Anarchists are making a surprise attack. There're a few people already in place, who would have been in the city anyway, like the Sentinel."

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"I know that guy..." Anna ominously murmured.

"Anyway, our goals are to take important hostages, blow things up, and kill everyone that tries to stop us. The Utopians are supposed to try and avoid killing, and secure the city. It's a war, so there really aren't any clear-cut goals besides win. And generally, you know you've won when the other guys are all dead."

"Sounds pretty straightforward," I said.

"Yeah. Hasami wants to trail with you guys, and the Beaulieu's have agreed to play backup, but will be off on their own for the most part."

"Where will you be?" I asked, having caught that he disincluded himself.

"We've got Miller and his Disciples, well-known Summoners. They hailed me on the radio, gave me a proposition. Despite what some people may think... Doran... I'm actually pretty good at what I do. They need a contract guy and I volunteered. We'll be here working on a heavy-weight summon, and screwing with the Utopians. You four go do whatever you do. That's your purpose. Nobody needs to hold your hands, and I'm really not a field guy, I'm a spell guy. Support. So get out there." He snapped his finger and the invisible connect between him and all of us loosened. Still there, but not so watchful.

The Siblings and The Samurai wandered out of the fog and into sight. Catherine and her brothers were in largely the same casual clothes, and Hasami still without a shirt, katana at his side.

Kendall touched his finger to his earpiece, held up a finger to hush Catherine, who was about to speak. He leveled that finger at Odessa and spoke. "You're in charge," the same finger pointed off into the fog. "Somebody brought a tank. Go hitch a ride."

"I'm out!" Ash declared. I arched an eyebrow at him but he just smiled and turned away without explaining.

Works better on his own, I thought. Still not sure what he does.

"Let's meet up when this's all over," Kendall looked to the other two Disciples.

"Fine."

"Hai."

Ash was already gone, and wordlessly the rest split up. Odessa started off in the direction of the tank without waiting on us. Hasami, with his military-like gait, followed, with Anna only a step behind. The Siblings stayed behind.

Unstructured. I could go off on my own if I wanted... Nah, strength in numbers.

I sped up, lugging my gun with me, to ahead of Hasami, and behind Odessa.

Through the fog, we found our way off of the grass and onto asphalt. Up ahead, the raucous laughter of university students led us to the sight of a heavily modified nineteenth-century tank. The beastly vehicle was covered over with young people in hexagonally patterned jumpsuits. Each with a flair of their own, looking like a rainbow with the assorted paint jobs on their protective suits. Some of them were wearing rubber masks, such as horse-heads. Some of them were wearing added items, like capes, or plating.

Standard issue, Eidolon armored suits, I remembered.

"Why the tank?" Anna shouted over the sounds of the machine.

"It'll keep rolling if the Technicists take it down," the one standing up in the hatch said. He was wearing a Guy Fawkes mask.

"Down?" I asked.

"Yuuuuuup," he disappeared into the tank and a thrumming filled the air. I could feel the hairs on my arm stand up as static electricity hit me. Slowly, steadily, the tank left the pavement to hover a few feet off the ground.

Anna laughed excitedly and jumped up onto the tank. Odessa climbed on, only to hang off the side, and Hasami joined her. I took a run-up and scaled onto the top of the gun. The tank purred and lurched up and forward into the fog.