"Why is he here," Lia whispered. "How did he find us?"

She'd been inconsolable for hours. AEGIS and I had tried everything, from convincing her that there was no way it was Brick's cigarette, to threatening to rip his head off if he ever showed it.

I was even serious about it. While by no means a mass-murderer, the things I'd been able to get out of Lia about what he'd done made my blood boil. That was the kind of logic that made Exhumans so hated, I knew. But still...my little sister.

I looked at her now. Wide-eyed, speechless, pale as a sheet. Sitting on the ground in the corner of AEGIS' workshop, hugging her legs like they were the only things anchoring her to this world.

The fact that she found this man, once my best friend even scarier than a bear which had literally almost mauled her to death said a lot. He had his own sins against me to answer for as well.

"She's...really scared." AEGIS said, looking impressed as she was worried. "This guy like some Exhuman you knew or what? Brick. Weird name."

"His name is Barry, and he's just a guy. He…" I lowered my voice. "He tried to rape her."

"Oh," was all AEGIS said, but her eyes turned from worry and compassion to smoldering hate in an instant. "I hope he comes. I hope we catch him."

"On a lot of levels, I do too. But I think it's best for everyone...especially Lia, but especially Brick, if he stays away. I don't even know how he would have found out about all this. Lia had to jump through so many hoops just to find me, and he just shows up out of nowhere?"

"Maybe it isn't him," AEGIS said, reiterating our first hope.

"Maybe. But I've never heard of anyone else who smokes."

"Tons of people smoke."

"Not since we turned you back on. In the Sino War it was determined a wasteful use of precious life-sustaining land to grow anything other than food. Tons of worry about fallout during the war, and lots of parts of the US did get irradiated, and Skyweb couldn't be wasted protecting farms. Tobacco was, and is, apparently still really heavily taxed, and it's still really bad for you, so people just get their fix on cheaper, better drugs."

"Huh. I wonder what else has changed. Never really thought about it."

"Yeah, we've had our hands full of other crises out here all the time already, right? I'm not exactly a historian, but a lot changed in the last hundred years."

"So, what it sounds like is...the cigarettes are either from Brick, or from someone as dumb as a brick."

"I guess so. I'm not reassured."

"Neither am I."

I felt useless. I felt like a terrible big brother, unable to protect my only sister from my best friend, even. I was mad and frustrated, and Lia's hollow stare just made me so pissed I wanted to throw things.

It was drawing on evening and Lia's wallowing had drawn on for hours when I pulled her up by the arm.

"W-what?" she said, startled.

"Let's go on a walk. Come on. It's nice out."

"I-I don't want to."

"I'll be with you. We can even take a couple DOG-Es if you'd like. We need to get you out of the house."

"O...okay. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Let's just go," I said, and gave her gloved hand a squeeze.

"You're warm," she said, and leaned into my shoulder.

"AEGIS, I'm going to take Lia on a walk. Can you have a couple DOG-Es doing perimeter sweeps around us? To be safe?"

"Sure thing. Good idea, Athan."

We walked slowly and aimlessly, the DOG-Es occasionally making sure to stay within sight of us as they scanned the area around us with a vigil that would make a praetor jealous.

"How are you doing?" I asked after we'd been walking in silence for a while.

"I'm...I'm fine."

"Well that's just a lie. How are you really?"

"Not fine. Not fine at all, Athan. Why is he here? How is he here? I don't understand."

"I don't either. But you do know, you live in a concrete bunker protected by robots. Your brother is an Exhuman, and Brick is right at the tippy-top of my shit-list. My best friends are a bounty hunter who once tried to level the base when she thought I was in trouble, and a psychic who can make people's heads explode. And we all want to make sure you're okay."

"Maybe not Karu," Lia muttered.

"Why not Karu?"

"I wasn't very nice to her. I think she's trying to get with you, if you know what I mean?"

"You think!?" I answered a little too excited. "I mean. Please elaborate."

"Never mind. I knew you were a lost cause." She took a swig from her flask.

"Hey, you're not allowed to make fun of me when I'm genuinely concerned for your current distress. It makes sarcasm hard."

"What is it you like about her so much?" Lia asked. "Do you just like girls with big breasts?"

"I mean doesn't everyone?" Lia's eyes told me this was no time for joking. "She's a good friend. To be honest with you, I don't even know what we're doing. She already sort of confessed her feelings for me--"

"She did!? Why was that not the very first thing you told me when I got here?" she jumped on top of me, laughing. I guess girlfriend drama was all she needed to get over Brick?

"What did you tell her?" She dropped off me and stared seriously at my face.

"Uh. It wasn't really a confession, I guess. She just said that she sorta loves me? And then I was confused, and we wound up fighting."

"You fought after she told you she loved you?" Lia frowned. "Jeez, Athan, what did you say?"

"Nothing, really! She just kept insisting we fight."

"Oh. That kind of fight." Lia blew a strand of hair out of her face, disappointed.

"I thought you didn't approve of Karu? Why'd you get all excited about it?"

"Are you kidding me? She's insane. But you're also my brother, and nobody's ever confessed to you before. That's so exciting."

"Uh. Sure. We should turn around though, we're gonna run into Saga soon if we keep going this way."

"Hmm. No, I think I'm pumped enough. Let's go say hi."

"You're very different than when we left."

"How tactfully put of you. I think a walk was exactly what I needed. Thanks not-so-stupid big brother," she said, and planted a swift kiss on my cheek before springing away.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Women? Ugh.

Soon we were at the edge of Saga's domain and I stepped in to say hello.

"'Sup, Saga."

[Ooh la la. Visiting twice in one day. I must have made quite the impression on you last time.]

I held up a hand to ask Lia to wait outside, and she did.

"Yeah. About that, did you do something to me? I've had thoughts like that running through my head more than normal ever since."

[Nope. All I did was tell you something I knew would pique your interest. Curious to hear more, I take it?]

"Actually I'm here with Lia…"

[Wow, aren't you an animal? Well I can include her if you--]

"She's just here to meet you. Behave, please?"

[Fine, fine. But only because I know you'll never let me meet her if I don't. I'm very curious what stories about you she's got to share.]

"Uhh…"

[Only kidding. I already know all your embarrassing stories, remember? Say you remember that sleep-over at Tyler's when you were twelve?]

"Behave, Saga. Lia...meet Saga...but only if you really want to."

Lia stepped forward a little hesitant, and then, feeling nothing, kept stepping.

"Is it not working?" she asked.

"No, you're in. You have to experience it a few times before you know what it feels like. Feel free to talk, you two. Though I suspect this will end badly for me."

['Sup Lia.]

"'Sup dude."

[So, Athan's sister huh? And you're not an Exhuman? That's disappointing.]

"Exhumanity has no genetic component that people have been able to determine, so, sorry. I guess?"

[But you are a millionaire black-market info broker. Not bad for a fifteen-year old. Say, I have a joint-venture proposition for you.]

"Please don't proposition my sister," I said.

[You sure? I'd let you watch.]

"Umm," interjected Lia.

[I'd let him watch as you sprung me from jail. That was my proposition. You people, always jumping to the strangest conclusions.]

"Maybe if you stopped wording things strangely, you wouldn't have this problem," I said.

"This is a weird request, but can I see where you're locked up? I'm just curious…"

[Sure why not. She's not afraid of bats, is she?]

"Just bears."

[Ehe he he, I already apologized for that.]

"Anyway, it's this way Lia, if you're okay with it for real, Saga?"

[Why wouldn't I be?]

"Because of your crippling paranoia of humans?"

[(Pfft.) I meant other than that. Besides, it's not like she can get in. Come to the zoo, stare at all the animals, see if I care. Just keep a leash on your pet.]

"Well, you heard the animal, let's get gawking," I said and we started towards the mine. "Are the others still up?"

"Others?"

[Kid's down, old man is going to sleep now. Want me to keep him up for you?]

"Nah, we'll catch them another time. Make me come back and visit. I've been neglecting you lately."

[I'm flattered you remember me. But seriously, a few days is nothing to me.]

"Saga has been in here for over a hundred years," I explained, feeling like a tour guide. "She's the original prisoner in this ancient XPCA facility, and in fact, is the one who destroyed it."

"Wow. So are you like, a mummy in there?"

[Kid, do I sound like a mummy?]

"Dunno. Never heard a mummy talk before."

[Wow, smartass. Even worse than you, Athan. (I like her.)]

"Yeah, he takes after me," Lia said with a flip of her hair and beamed a smile at me.

"Wow, imagine that, Saga actually liking a human."

[I'm allowed to like humans. I will still kill her the moment it becomes more convenient than having her alive, but I'll feel a little bad about it when I do.]

"And there's Saga's heart of gold and the reason I'm never sure if I'm doing the right thing by trying to get her out," I said.

"Why are you trying to get her out?" Lia asked.

[Um, hello, I'm right here?]

"Personally, I don't think Saga's as hard and bad as she makes herself out to be. She co-existed with humans--not just any humans, XPCA soldiers who tortured her daily--for years. Never hurt them."

[Yeah, right up until I killed them all?]

"Yeah. That was not so good of you. But I do think she's got a lot of potential to be good. And more, she's immortal, she's got a really long-term perspective on things. I think she knows that her future ends in one of two ways."

"Which are?"

"Either she subjugates literally all of humanity, or manages to co-exist with them."

[Or destroys them. Third option.]

"And you think it's easier for her to co-exist with people than to try to rule them all?" Lia asked, as we slipped through the front gate of the compound, which was now fully patched of holes and actually opened when we tried to pull it.

"I don't know about that, but I do think it would be the more fun outcome for Saga, and as far as I can tell, that's what motivates her most. An eternity surrounded by people she kind of despises, or an eternity surrounded by the silent minds of the mentally dominated."

[It's true. I am weak to the occasional chuckle.]

"Thanks, Saga. Lia, I didn't bring a light, so...just stay close, okay?" She nodded and I lit up a pair of swords above my head.

"Woah. Sweet."

"I know you're a smart kid and all, but absolutely do not touch."

"Yeah, I know. So is there, like, a muscle you have to flex or something to make them go?"

[It's his kegels.]

"What's a keg--"

"It's not my kegels," I interrupted. "No, it just kind of does what I want without me having to think about it too hard. Almost feels like it responds to my thoughts before I even think them. Like…" I struggled for a metaphor.

[It's like if I said 'look at the book' or 'look at the wall', you'd just move your eyes and do it without thinking about it. You don't even have to think of it as looking at something, just as soon as you want it to happen, it happens.]

"Yes, well said," I said. "That's how it feels to me as well."

[I have had a lot of time to think about this.]

"Cool. So what else can you do?"

"Uh. Just a couple things. Maybe we can talk about this later?"

[Aww, shy to talk in front of me?]

"No, it's just not a very good place or time to demonstrate. If I do anything flashy here in the dark, we'll just be blinded and piss off the bats."

[Oh.]

"Yeah, most of my decisions do not actually revolve around you, Saga."

[Well that's just misinformed of you.]

We were almost through the mines now and made the last turn to the large open door.

"That's a heck of a door," Lia said with a low whistle.

"You should see the next one. It's the one giving us all the trouble." I walked us into the next room

"That's a heck of a door," Lia said with a low whistle.

[(I like her.)]

"Well, this is it. Viewing balcony on the left...the small shatter in that window is where I went at it with a blast charge. Scrapes on the door from some friends of mine hitting it with mining equipment. You can barely see even with a proper light, but that...there. That dark shape, that's a coffin, or, I've been calling it that."

[Very flattering. Am I a vampire?]

"And Saga's trapped inside. First obstacle is the door, second obstacle is disarming whatever trap and-slash-or traps they put on the coffin."

[Third obstacle is doing that without letting a human near me. (Boo, hiss, humans.)]

"And that's about where we are. I think Saga's thoughts are probably that you're the only one of us who can and would go out into the wider world and get some technology that would help us open this stuff up."

"What's over here? There's an exposed panel," Lia asked.

[Don't mess with that.]

"There's a valve in there that Saga uh, made the XPCA hack together to open the door."

[Athan, I'm serious, don't let her mess with that.]

"This valve?" Lia said, and grunted as she turned it.

[Both of you stop now. We've been over this, Athan. No humans allowed to hold my fate in their hands, remember?]

I walked back to the door, finding it open. Saga's dark chamber loomed right there in front of me.

"It's open," I said.

[And you are not allowed to go in. Have your sister close it before I do.]

"I can just go in and break you out."

[You can just go in and have your sister lock both of us in there to die. Well, you'll die, I'll just experience every moment of your dying anguish until you do. So no. Tell her to let the valve go.]

"Saga, you're not being rational about this. We can do this, right now."

[I told you. No. I don't care. I need you alive to get me out, and putting your life in a human's hands is a great way to stop being alive.]

"She's my sister."

[Like that means something? Do you have any idea how many Exhumans were turned in by their families? How many Exhumans killed their families?]

"She's not like that. She's my sister."

[You guys aren't so fucking perfect either. She's a traumatized little waif who would do anything to hold onto the memory of her broken family, and you're too full of yourself to even see it. Now CLOSE THE DOOR.]

"A-Athan? What's going on?"

"Nothing. I'm going in. Keep the door open, okay?"

[Don't do this, Athan. Don't you try me.]

"This is what's best. Stop being difficult. Just trust me, okay?"

[No. I refuse. I utterly refuse. Do not step through that door or I will...I will…]

I stepped through the door.