People trickled out, stopping by to say bye and thanking Lia, while she played the host and thanked them for coming, even while tears and snot were dripping from her face from her emotional reunion with Saga. Eventually, it was just myself and AEGIS, watching, but now eavesdropping on Lia and Saga as the noise of the party diminished, Tem, and Eryn and Karu, who approached me now.

"Sorry you got so beat up today," I said to Karu. "Between Saga and your dad. Probably not the best parties for you. I'm sorry."

"Oh, it is nothing, I assure you. I achieved my objectives beyond even my wildest expectations." She touched the choker at her neck as though by habit and I smiled that something so simple could bring her so much happiness. "And also, my father is likely positively fuming, which is potentially yet another benefit."

"I think we should stop and find a homeless man, Miss K., and when your father asks where the young master is, we insist that's him, and won't take no for an answer."

"I am not certain who raised you to be quite so rotten, but I am certain I had no hand in it," Karu said warily. "Still, the idea bears merit."

Yeah. Seriously consider her idea even as you wonder who's encouraging this kind of behavior.

"Regardless, we will be taking our leave. I...think it best if I do not approach Saga again, lest this party do end with an altercation after all. Please give Lia my heartfelt thanks and appreciation."

"And mine as well," Eryn curtseyed as she did, with practiced grace.

"And Ashton, if...something does happen, do not hesitate to call. I can be here in four minutes. I will select and equip an appropriate loadout when I get back home so I will be ready to mobilize at a moment's notice, as it were."

"Now," AEGIS asked "when you say equip your loadout, do you mean just...picking out guns and munitions and gadgets and stuff specifically to fight Saga? Or do you mean...literally equip it, like you'll be wandering around the house in armor all night?"

"Um, the latter, certainly. Though at some point I imagine I will sleep instead of wander, but I have slept in my armor many times."

"Yeah, thought as much," AEGIS confirmed. "You're crazy."

"What is crazy is making light of the situation and being unprepared. Saga is a real threat."

"I know," AEGIS said. "Trust me, I know better than anyone, probably. But, rest assured, I've got eyes on her constantly, and she can't just mentally dominate me like you meatbags. If she goes off, I'll crush her."

Karu nodded. "That is reassuring. It does little to prevent her from weaving influence into our minds, but I appreciate any support possible." She cracked her knuckles, and for a second there, I almost mistook her elegant dress and heels for armor and boots. "And with that, we shall be off. Thank you again, and farewell, until next we meet."

"Yeah, and don't go fallin' for no bimbos, Master. Miss K.'s the real deal."

"Eryn!"

They left, and AEGIS frowned at Tem who was still sitting nearby.

"Am I annoying you? I apologize," said Tem, who promptly turned invisible.

"No, now you're even creepier," AEGIS replied.

"AEGIS, be nice. She's harmless."

"She is as harmless as Skyweb. Totally docile until it decides to fire, at which point, lasers demolecularize you without warning."

"So basically the same as my powers?" I asked, leadingly.

AEGIS sighed. "Okay, I will give you exactly one point for that one. Go ahead, smug it up."

"I've got one point. Woooo."

"Yeah okay. Smugging it up time now officially over. Athan, I wanted to talk about our...crash situation, but I do not want Tem or Saga around for it. Unfortunately, looks like neither is leaving anytime soon."

"I am following Chariot," Tem's voice agreed.

"Yeah, thanks, Casper. Wasn't asking."

"Casper?" I asked.

"Old...never mind. You need to watch more media from the Digital and Early Exhuman ages. There's a fuckton of amusing cats memes you're missing out on."

"Casper is a cat?"

"Anyway. Tem, sweetie, just cover your ears and stop listening for a while, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Athan, short version is, I got hacked. I have guesses as to who, guesses as to why, guesses as to how. I patched the code they put in me, patched the entry point they used to get into me, and I should be fine."

"That all sounds like good news. I mean, aside from the bad parts."

"Yeah. But there's some bad-news bears, and you know how I feel about bears. It's very possible, dare I even say likely that they copied data off of me. The access they got to put the virus in me, it was a two-way street, meaning they could pull whatever they wanted out as well."

"I uh," I had to stop to think what that meant. What did that mean? Were there potentially armies of AEGIS being produced as we spoke? I of all people knew how terrifying that prospect was, being the one and only person she'd ever personally tried to kill in the world, and she had done a damn fine job of it too, planning and only losing because of circumstances she couldn't account for...and then winning even when she lost anyway.

But then I remembered our talk at the aquarium. There had been thousands of AEGISes before. They'd come to life, helped the AEGIS, and then terminated. Happily, AEGIS claimed.

"I could think of a lot worse than having a few thousand of you around," I said. "I don't think I'd ever be able to eat another meal that wasn't home-cooked."

"I'm the only AEGIS who has hands to cook, smartass," she said. "Though honestly, I'm in the same boat as you. They can't use me...her...because she's me, and if I found out I was an illegal copy, I'd just self-terminate. Even if I never figured that out directly, the second someone started giving me orders or telling me to make them a robot army or some shit, I'd sure as shit figure it out then."

"What if you couldn't self-terminate?"

"It'd be impossible. Rewriting my own code is part of my code. If I don't have that kind of permissions, I can't run period. A lot of security stuff like that lurking inside me, I thought it was all kind of ridiculous before now...and now I'm happy it's all there."

"Well then that seems like kind of a non-issue too. So...all good?"

"I mean...I guess. I kinda feel really dirty and violated, but otherwise, intact and okay."

"Well that's what really matters. I'm glad you're okay, AEGIS."

"Yeah, me too."

We sat for a moment and awkwardly watched Saga and Lia. They were sitting next to each other now, Lia lying still and leaning heavily on Saga. I couldn't see Lia's face from here, but Saga wasn't speaking, just sitting there with a look of...concen...tration…

"Oh god dammit," I said, and got up to cross the room. Saga started glaring at me as soon as I realized what was going on.

"Piss off, Athan," she said.

"Get out of my sister's head," I growled.

From here, I could see that Lia wasn't just leaning on Saga's bony shoulder, she was completely out, breathing slowly and peacefully with her eyes closed.

"She asked for this," Saga snipped back. "And you don't own her, so fuck off."

"What are you doing to her?" I asked.

"Does fuck off mean something different where you come from?"

"I don't do 'fuck off' where Lia's involved. Start talking, Saga."

She sighed deeply, closed her eyes, and leaned back, Lia slowly falling down into her lap.

[Fuck it,] she said, in my head. [I'm so tired of talking like a human.]

"And what about the other people in this building?"

[Fuck them too. I only have so many fucks to give, Athan, and right now you're demanding all of them, so the handful of losers who are staying by themselves in this fancy hotel on Christmas can deal. Yes. You.]

I frowned, but couldn't afford to care either. Lia muttered something in her sleep at hearing Saga's half of our conversation.

[This might surprise you, but I'm really pissed at Lia.]

"Yeah."

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

[Like, really pissed. Like, I don't think I've ever hated a person as much as her.]

"I understand she hurt you, but don't take it out on her. She was just being selfish, she didn't mean--"

[She absolutely meant to. She violated me, in ways no other being on this planet can even comprehend. She fucking raped my soul, Athan. So spare me the pleas.]

"It wasn't--"

[No. Just shut the hell up, unless you want me to get mad.]

I took the hint.

[Good. Now despite all that, Lia is...at the end of the day...despite everything she says and does...still a pretty good kid. Which really only pisses me off more. How she can spend so much time thinking and navigating people's emotions like a pro, and then somehow just drop the ball...no...dunk the ball, through a flaming net, well, it's hard not to take personally.]

I thought back to how cleverly Lia had completely deconstructed my mental condition in her misguided attempt to remove a compel from Saga.

"I'm sure that didn't do any good for your ability to trust humans."

[No Athan, it really fucking didn't.]

"Sorry."

[Don't you apologize, she's the one who did it. Unless you're apologizing for prying into Not Your Business and are ready to fuck off now.]

"Yeah, no such luck."

[Yeah, you really do like sticking your nose in everything, shamelessly.]

"Anyway. You haven't told me what you're doing yet."

[Look buddy, if I wanted to hurt her, she'd be hurt already, okay? So calm your damn tits. Instead, I'm giving her a little compel. Like I said, her idea.]

"Well, don't. I don't care if it was her idea or yours. Don't fuck with my sister's mind."

[Not your call. She's her own person, Athan, she has her own relationships with people, and you don't own that.]

"She's also my sister."

[Funny how you seem to think that's an argument against her being her own person. Wonder what ownership you claim over me for being your friend.]

"If an Exhuman were going to fuck up your brain, you can bet I'd stop them too. But that's not happening right now, Saga, you are. So put. Her. Down."

[No.]

I whipped out my swords, summoning them in the air surrounding her. Eight, this time. Only moments after they appeared, the room filled with crackling energy and dark vortexes where light twisted on itself, and the haze of light coalescing into deadly lasers, and with the sound of engines spinning to life as AEGIS stood and glowed with shimmering heat.

[Please. You think the three of you can stop me?]

"I think you can't put me out before I kill you, and AEGIS can handle the rest."

"I will drag your carcass all the way back to your cell, killing you the whole way, Saga," AEGIS said, her yellow eyes locked on Saga behind her thin oval glasses.

[Well, do that if you must. Might be a little awkward for Lia though, having me suddenly ripped out of her head. Might leave her with a teensie-weensie little case of permanent brain damage.]

She narrowed her eyes. [But hey, I hear you like vegetables.]

"You piece of shit," I shouted. It was all I could do. I was completely powerless here, and she knew it.

[You ready to be a good boy and fuck off yet?]

"Just tell me why."

[How about we go back to having a civilized conversation and then, I'll consider it. As in, get your damn lightning out of my face, and call off your assassins.]

I didn't budge. I was so mad at her, so mad at myself for bringing her here. I really just wanted to run her through with my swords a few times and watch that smug grin curl into a pained shriek for a while. How dare she threaten Lia. How fucking dare she.

But I couldn't. She knew it. I knew it. I was just completely worthless and useless. Couldn't even protect my own sister, again. All this superhuman power, and for what? What was the point in trying and fighting for rights for people, if I couldn't protect the one closest to me?

I threw my swords away disgustedly and fell into a chair.

What the hell was I even doing. People were trying to kill each other this whole fucking party. Saga and anyone else was like mixing gasoline and fire. And the whole time, I'm just smiling and nodding along, saying oh no problem, she's a good evil Exhuman. I had every goddamn red flag in the world, but just barreled on, so confident and so stupid.

I sat there, blankly staring at the cocky little Exhuman with my sister's life in her hands, and let it really sink in, let it fill my bones, exactly what a worthless, helpless, pointless piece of shit I was. Just a fucking moron. What the hell had I been thinking, even trying--

[Okay, knock that shit off,] Saga intruded on my train of thought.

"What?"

[Stop the fucking pity party. If you're so worthless, there's a balcony right there which will give you a nice view on the way down. But barring that, Jesus, spare me.]

"Yeah. Sure." Might as well do whatever she says. Seemed pretty pointless to try to argue with her on anything if I was already willing to sit back while she mind-fucked my sister.

[Fuck, you're pathetic. I feel like I just kicked a friendly dog.]

"Sorry."

"Chariot is NOT PATHETIC!" Tem screamed at the top of her lungs. The black churning of the room intensified until Tem fell forward onto her face, anticlimactically.

"AEGIS," I said, and she flinched. "She's holding Lia's mind hostage. Don't attack her."

"I thought maybe something as much. That or she fucked up your head," AEGIS said, her lip twitching.

"So glad we all understand each other," Saga said quietly. "See, if you just discuss things calmly, nobody has to get mentally mutilated. I mean, except Athan, who loves doing that to himself."

[Speaking of which,] she added, [seriously, knock it off. You're super pissing me off.]

"Sorry."

[Stop that too. Where's the arrogant asshole who, devil-may-care stormed my chambers and rescued me from myself?]

"You took his sister hostage."

[Your dependence on humans is going to be your undoing, Athan. This is just sad to watch.] She sighed heavily. [Look, all I'm doing here is putting a little compel in your sister, and as I've said twice now, it was her idea. She kept apologizing and asking what she could do to make it right and make me able to trust her again.]

She frowned and looked even smaller than usual. [The fucking girl...I don't know why, but she thought, of all the people she could have chosen...the idiot picked me for her best friend. I don't know if she just confused mental proximity with intimacy, or if she just just had the worst imaginable taste in people, but that's what she thought. Picking me over the flying pair of tits and the world's most servile maid. I have no idea what she was thinking, and I'm a goddamn mind reader.]

[But as I said, she's her own person and makes her own decisions. And whatever her reasons, that's what she decided. Honestly, when I came to her tonight, I had done so intending to bitch her out and that's it, but she's suffered and wants things to go back to how they were before. Kind of a selfish asshole, kind of like her brother.]

"She's one of the most selfless people in the world, Saga," I said, but still couldn't manage to force any threat into my voice. Not with Lia sitting there in front of me like a blank puppet.

[Selfishness takes many forms. It hurts her a lot more than it should when someone hates her. Do you ever think about why she's so selfless, or do you just assume she's just that altruistic? (Damn he's so fucking naive.)]

"Just finish the story, Saga."

[There's really nothing more to it. She asked what it'd take for me to take her back, and I said, I'd want some kind of reassurance that she'd never hurt me like that again, and she said, okay, then compel me so I can't. I told her she was crazy, but she cried and insisted, y'know, exactly like a crazy person would do. But at the end of the day, despite how pissed I am at her, that being pissed comes from somewhere, y'know? I still have a soft spot for her even after all this. So…] she gestured down at the girl's head resting on her lap. [Here we are.]

We sat there in relative silence, only the continued spinning of AEGIS' engines and the faint sound of out-of-place Christmas music hanging in the air.

[Satisfied?] she asked, at long last.

"Not at all. I still want you out of her head."

[It won't even do anything. The only thing it'll affect is her interacting with me, and I'm out of here after today.]

"I hate you being in anyone's head, Saga. It doesn't matter how big or small, it's terrifying anytime someone isn't themselves."

She sighed. [Themselves is such a weird concept anyway. Look at you. In the course of this conversation, you've gone right from wanting to tear out my throat to sitting there, more cowed than a cow. Tell me which one of those is yourself? And in the future, if Lia did exactly what you did, if you assumed it was because of a compel, you'd be wrong. You worry too much about what I put in your head and not enough what you do.]

"You can sit on your high ground and make whatever arguments you want, but if your compel was as harmless as you claim, you wouldn't be wasting your time doing it right now."

She sighed and pushed Lia's head off of her, leaving my sister sleeping on the couch.

"Is she...done?"

[Yeah. I put my hostage down, so feel free to shoot me.]

"Tempting like you wouldn't believe."

[Y'know, I actually had the idea I'd come here and make some peace with you jackoffs. I was even on my best behavior. No killing anyone, no talking in people's heads, tried to spend a few minutes of quality time with everyone...well...everyone interesting. Sorry Tem, but not sorry.]

Tem, still sleeping, showed no sign of recognition at her name being mentioned in her head.

[And this is how it turns out. Turned the one guy on my side against me, almost break down into a fistfight with him and his toy robot, with the plucky dog joining because why not, Karu formally asked for the authority to kill me twice, and is on retainer to show up if she even thinks I'm up to something funny, and Lia's crawling and crying all over me, begging for me to mind-fuck her back so we'll be even.]

She pulled the too-large black XPCA coat off of her and threw it at me in a ball, where my shield incinerated it out of the air.

Saga gave the plume of smoke a stunned glance. [Merry fucking Christmas, I guess.]

"Who's throwing themselves a pity party now, Saga? It's almost like you consistently do horrible things to everyone, and then wonder why people don't like you. In case you haven't noticed, Karu is a hunter, and a zealot who dedicated her life to wiping out the bad Exhumans--"

[I know.]

"--And AEGIS was fucking built specifically to fight them. And almost everyone else here, they work for the XPCA, including me."

[(I fucking know, all right!?)]

"It's a goddamn Christmas miracle that nobody actually did try to kick your ass, given all of that." I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on.

[Yeah, well, I thought you and they were supposed to hate and kill the bad Exhumans. I've been good the last few weeks, didn't even show up on the radar. Living in dumpsters, figuring out new tricks to get by without flaunting my powers. (And does anyone even think 'good job, Saga?) I came here with the best of intentions, Athan, and maybe I shouldn't have bothered.]

She stood up and I saw AEGIS tense. AEGIS only could hear half the conversation after all, that probably made her even jumpier than she might have been.

[For all your talk about making a place for Exhumans who want to live in a more peaceful world, you still do a pretty good job of treating us like shit, Athan. And I think it was you who said Exhumans turn bad because everyone just expects them to. Well right now, I'm realizing all over again why being good doesn't pay. Why even bother.]

"You mind-fucked my sister, Saga."

[She asked me to. FYI asshole, you asked me to earlier in this party, too. So get the fuck off your high horse.]

"I did not--"

She made a gesture at me like crushing an egg in her hand, and the memories came back, painfully clear. I touched my lips and retched.

AEGIS landed on two feet on the far side of Saga, who slammed against the ground so hard from the kick that she bounced twice. The top and bottom half of her body weren't in alignment anymore her body twisted at a horrifying angle on the floor, her back broken below the shoulders. She winced and let out a hoarse scream, barely audible over the roar of AEGIS' body.

And like that, the Christmas miracle was over, as our party had its first murder victim.