"Well, shit," I said, peering through my holo at the battlefield. They kept cutting to footage of news anchors talking, and I didn't see why anyone would ever want to look at some dumb pretty woman's face instead of the masses of armies, clashing into each other.

Putting it like that made me sound really messed up. But uh, I did wish they'd stop cutting the feed.

Because shit was going south down there in a way I hadn't possibly anticipated. The three armies were supposed to all fight against Justice, but instead, the Oasians had sort of inadvertently cut off the route the New Edeners had bloodily hacked through the XPCA lines, and now all of them were embroiled in a violent, running stalemate. Everyone was dying, everyone was killing everyone else, and nobody was getting anywhere.

"Shit indeed," Karu agreed, talking to the air. She was probably watching a feed through her visor. "I had thought the situation improved by the New Edeners' cowardice, yet…"

"Dragon is supposed to be helping, and instead he's screwed up everything," AEGIS bemoaned.

"Less than an hour until Justice arrives," Lia said, peering up from her own device.

All of us were just squatting in the dark, the same damn schoolhouse that Rito always took us to, even though last time she'd done it, the XPCA had been waiting for her. Fortunately, we weren't punished this time, but seriously, how inept could one person be?

It probably wasn't fully fair to blame her. She was, at the moment, just...standing there in the dark, eyes blank, arms limp at her sides. I was trying not to look at her, because every time I did, I felt the ball of loathing in my gut suddenly grew spikes and try to crawl up my trachea.

But with the sudden appearance of the Oasians, I didn't feel like my anger was justified anymore, if it ever had been. While the XPCA had spent their entire existence trying to crap on us, and the New Edeners had proven just what shitty people they could be to my sister...we'd just come back from Oasis, and somehow, those zealous fanatics were the closest things we had to allies in this fight.

"We can't leave them to fight and die. It's because of us that they came in the first place," I said.

"Who, the toads?" Karu stared at me, her visor blazing in the relative dark. "It may be prudent to tell them to retreat, if possible. They may heed you, and in so doing, open the way for the Exhumans to slip their pursuers."

"Same problem, different forces, then," Lia sighed. "If we give the Exhumans an out, then the XPCA will just get crushed by the Oasian army instead."

"Better that than the exotics and Exhumans clash. The XPCA is the most expendable army of the three, by far."

"Why can't they just cooperate, damn it," I scratched my head. "Why's everyone always got to be killing each other?"

"Oh sweetie," AEGIS wrapped her arm around my shoulders in a way which felt much more patronizing than comforting. "Even if they wanted to...and we know for certain that at least two of those factions do, the fact is, none of them are capable of listening to the others."

"They've got ears, don't they? Why the hell can't they listen?"

Lia cut in. "Well, for the 'Edeners, they're here because of nationalistic pride and devotion to a leader who they believe is the only one who's ever listened to them. Pride isn't exactly receptive to hearing out others, and neither is fanatical devotion."

Karu nodded. "And speaking of devotion, the Oasians are physically incapable of thinking on their own. They are much more a wild animal, driven by the instincts given to them by their clergy, than human."

"Which leaves the XPCA," I sighed. "Who are fuckers."

"Who are loyal, dedicated, and selfless," AEGIS corrected. "Just not to you. To the ideal that they're protecting America."

"Even though they're not."

"Well," she gave a little apologetic grin. "There are kinda...two hostile Exhuman armies invading at the moment. You sorta do have to give them credit that stopping exactly that kind of thing is their business. And even if they're outgunned, they're trying."

"So what we're all saying is, there's no way to get these guys not to grind each other into hamburger before Justice even shows up."

"Yum, hamburger," Saga agreed.

"Unless Soran's clue is somehow what we're supposed to be following," I concluded. "Just...leave everything here in total chaos and run off to chase down Tobias and...then God only knows what else. And hope that the letter he sent us was absolutely from Mage, and will fix everything, and wasn't a trap from Soran...whom we know to be currently A: Not the same guy anymore as our last fight would attest, and B: Dead, after tangling with Justice."

"Well when you put it that way," Saga grinned. "Why are we still hesitating?"

"I think what really needs to be decided is...are we making our stand here, or not?" AEGIS asked. "All the pieces are in play. In the next hour, we can spring Trish loose, get in touch with the XPCA commander and Rio, and at least try to create a unified army, before losses become too great."

"I can talk to Khol," Lia said, standing. "He won't listen...but I can...do something." She took a deep breath as she moved, and I thought...thought I heard her skin cracking. But if it hurt, she barely showed it in the dark, even now that the stims had probably worn off.

"If it is all the same, and he would not listen anyway, I would send a soldier, not a diplomat," Karu added. "Or a code-X."

"Yeah, maybe," Saga shrugged. "Or, and I still think this is the right course of action, we go after Soran's lead."

"You believe in him?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I've seen in his head. The amount of shit going on in there is unreal. If he told me to pedal a tricycle backwards across the Sahara...well, I'd ask why. You'd be stupid not to. But I also know he'd have a reason for it, and I'd probably damn-well wind up doing it."

I stared at her, feeling the wisps of her memories of him tugging at my mind.

"But he's changed since then. Before, it was Mage's powers in control. Last time we fought, that was definitely not the case anymore."

"He sent the letter before then," AEGIS frowned. "He specifically mentioned alzstraz-beta compression, by name, which came up later with Tobias. I'm with Saga on this one, there's no way that was just a coincidence."

"Thank you, AEGIS," Saga bowed. "I knew you were smart."

She rolled her eyes. "For agreeing with you? Ugh."

"Okay, granted that there's something there. What about the armies?"

"I think," Lia said, and there was something to her tone that we all stopped and looked at her as she paused. "I think...we need to split up."

"Now? No," I said.

"Yes. The problem is we have too many things to do. We have the people to do it, just...not if we put everyone in the same place."

"Dibs on 'talking' to Khol," Saga grinned.

"Athan should be the one to follow Mage's trail. And I'll go with him," AEGIS said.

"I do have some contacts within the XPCA who may bend a sympathetic ear," Karu mused. "And I do not mind speaking to Rio and Dragon. But how will we find them?"

"Simple," AEGIS said. "Athan and I go with you for a bit, and order one of the priests to tell us where they are. We need to talk to Tobias anyway, so we may as well handle Rio ourselves."

"Very well. If we...are…" she paused, and then cleared her throat. "Ashton, is this the final confrontation?"

"Um, it seems that way."

"I am not asking for 'um'. I wish to know your level of commitment to this battle. There are hundreds of thousands embroiled in conflict currently, and one more soon to visit death upon them. Are we expending all that we have in this fight, or do you intend to cut and to run?"

I blinked at her. It seemed kind of insane to be arbitrarily making that distinction here and now, with the limited information I had.

But at the same time, I understood. In a fight, you never commit a hundred percent to any one attack, unless you have to, unless you had no choice, unless it's the last attack you could throw.

In her political way, that's what Karu was asking me, I understood. She wanted me to think, to consider, if we lost here today, was there any coming back? Even if we got these armies running now, would any of them ever retake the field after today? Would there be another blow we had left to throw at Justice?

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I spent long moments sitting and thinking and looking at the eyes of the others, lit up by their mobiles in the dark, soft yellow glow on faces hard with intensity.

Dragon had given us one favor. Rito was disbanding the Oasian army, and I guess this was the last hurrah. The XPCA were as good as over, the president would be dismantling them after this, win or lose. And the only thing which had pulled the New Edeners together was the plea to fight Justice, for the sake of their humanity. If they ran from him now, nothing would hold them together anymore.

Karu knew it. Lia and AEGIS too, probably. We'd talked about getting people to run, about saving their lives...but unless Justice was stopped, all we'd do is run, and keep running. After the cities were gone, would he go to military bases? Refugee camps? Eventually, would he just be picking off settlements in the woods, scraping humanity off the face of the earth?

I didn't know. But I did know...this was the last punch we had left to throw at him.

"We're fighting. Today. With everything," I said.

She nodded seriously, and gave a small, grim smile. "As I had hoped you would see. If that is the case, I will...after speaking to the XPCA as best I am able, I will return to the Hunter's Association and plead my case with them. There are many strong, competent fighters there, who remain to be employed. Lia, if you have any credits to your name, they may prove invaluable in securing their services."

"I'll give you everything I have," she agreed. "Right after I wire a few to Taglock."

"Him?" I groaned.

"Yes, him. He's got my rifle and my old slipskin. This one's kinda...well...I think the burns killed it. And he might prove useful in getting through to the XPCA as well."

"You know who'd really excel at that?" I suddenly realized. "Dragon. He's got contacts that can twist them around his finger. We'll have to ask if we see him."

After that ferenic outburst of agreement and planning and iterating, we all lapsed into a painful silence, the holos still blazing in the dark.

"I guess...we've got a plan," AEGIS said. "Less than an hour before Dragon comes, we'd...probably get on that."

"Yeah," Lia agreed. But she was looking at me.

But even saying that, nobody stirred. I felt a lump in my throat and swallowed hard.

"I don't want to split up," I confessed, the sentiment I knew we were all feeling. "If...if this is it, if we're going down...I want to do it together. Like we've always done."

Nobody disagreed. It felt weird with Karu going off to be a diplomat and a huntress again. Felt weird that Saga was just expected to stroll into a battlefield by herself. Felt weird that I was leaving all of them and all of that, just because of some letter.

But we'd been over this. If we were gonna do something, it was now, and it was this. And we were sure as shit going to do something. Even if those fuckers had hurt Lia, I wasn't doing it for them. I was doing it for...for everyone, I guess.

For me. Not the me that wanted to run away and keep my friends safe, but the me who wanted to save the world, to be a good Exhuman, to prove that humans and Exhumans could work together to achieve the impossible. To overcome Justice itself. The me who'd been dropped in the woods almost two years ago, who was naive, but also right.

"Rito," I barked, standing up, suddenly enough to surprise even me. "Take us back to the battlefield, somewhere close and quiet."

I found a hand squeezing mine, and then another. One warm and soft, one chilly and bony. I looked down and saw my girlfriend and sister smiling at me.

And then I blinked a few times and realized it'd gotten even darker, louder, rockier. We were in a crater, the lip of which still danced with flame.

Karu clapped a hand on my shoulder. "If this is to be the end, know that I am proud of how far you have come. Though I would love to see how much further you will go, that is in God's hands, not my own. Be strong, and remember your training always."

And then she kissed me. Which was awkward, because AEGIS was still holding my hand. Crushing my hand, really. Thankfully, eventually, both of them let go.

There was a rush of wind, the roar of engines, and twisting trails of blue plasma streaking into the sky.

Saga was next. She sauntered up to me and clapped a hand on my shoulder. "If this is to be the end, know that I am proud of how far you have come. Though I would love--"

I stepped on her foot, and she grinned through the pain.

"Yeah, I'm not one for goodbyes. Never much saw the point," she said, turning and giving a lazy wave. "If you get yourself killed out there, I'm just gonna mind-fuck some other boytoy into being just as interesting as you. Except, with a bigger dick. So unless you want Thunder-Cock taking your place, stay alive, dumbass."

She crawled over the lip of the crater, taking special precaution to pass directly through the flames, and then out of sight.

AEGIS was coming with me, which just left Lia. I turned to face her.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

"Uh...yeah, I guess." I blinked. "Where are you going?"

"With you."

"With...me? Was that the plan?"

She shrugged. "I'm no fighter. Saga took over talking to Khol. Karu's talking to the XPCA, and we need AEGIS to talk to Rio. So…" she shrugged. "Kinda out of people for me to talk to, and I'm not useful for anything else. I'm meeting Taglock soon, but otherwise, I'm all yours."

I tried not to let it show that my heart was swelling at the thought of not abandoning Lia to die somewhere. But she saw anyway, and gave me a grin and a playful punch in the shoulder...which seemed to hurt her a lot more than me.

"Okay then," I agreed, somehow suddenly much happier with this plan. "Let's find a toad, find Rio and Dragon, find Tobias...and find out how to stop Justice, once and for all."

It was...shockingly...somehow just that simple. The toads recognized AEGIS as a high priestess, and she was able to dart across the battlefield without getting shot by anything too impactful. Dragon was hidden nearby, true to his word that he'd help personally.

"...and, well, I thought, what the hell," Rio put it. "What better way to disband the Oasian army than by sending it off to back up my good friend Liwei on one final mission," she grinned at us.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Yeah, you just wanted more data."

"I am completely innocent!"

"You are many things, but I don't think innocent has ever been one of them. I'm still happy to see you, though. Tell me Tobias came, too."

"He...did," she blinked at me. "Was going on about how harmonic vibrations were beckoning that he accompany. I think he was just worried about being lonely."

"Or alone," Dragon commented. "You've made us powerful enemies."

"Oh did I?" Rio tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Oh darn, I guess we will have need of an army after all."

"We have an army, at home," Dragon sighed.

"Yes, but I like this one better," she pouted.

"We can't feed two armies. That is why we are disposing of one."

"Maybe we could feed two armies if we expanded a little! Y'know, a little...pillaging, maybe?"

"No more pillaging. No more armies."

She giggled, and I found AEGIS and Lia exchanging glances. The latter of whom spoke up. "Well, you two are getting along better. Did something happen?"

"No," Rio grinned. "Well. Yes. Liwei's just so much more fun to talk with now that he's...talking. We really do owe you all so much."

"I still do not know why you felt the need to leave Oasis. Then Tobias would have stayed. You would have been safer."

"I'd miss your sparkling personality," she shrugged.

I turned to AEGIS. "Okay, well, this is weird, but at least we found them. Lia, you want to talk to these guys, and AEGIS and I can try to decode Tobias and the letter at the same time?"

She agreed and I was grateful that we'd be getting away from the two Oasian high clergy...and even more grateful that we were walking, maybe a hundred feet away, with Lia protected by possibly the world's most competent fighter, and surrounded by possibly the world's most dangerous army.

Only to find Tobias, sitting on a rock in someone's abandoned front yard, staring into as much of the night sky was visible through the suburban lights still glowing.

It took very little time to introduce him to our situation, and a very long time for him to say anything which made sense. Over the course of our bringing the problem to him, he rocketed from spacey old wizened hermit straight into manic mad scientist.

"Of course I'm familiar with alzstraz-beta compression!" he wheezed, "I've spent hundreds of hours contemplating its implementation. Why, it's fundamental in the theoretical creation of a stable-linked probabilistic binding! Deterministic reality transferral would be a pipe dream without it!"

I just heard a bunch of words. But AEGIS at least seemed to understand...or enough to ask a question anyway. She cleared her throat politely. "Sorry, theoretical creation?"

"Well, yes, of course. It's all theory at this point m'dear."

"You mean...you've never...done any dimension-hopping? Isn't that your powers?"

He laughed. "No, dimensional travel is my calling; my powers are arboreal. I grew all the trees in Oasis. Have you seen them?"

We looked at each other, and I wondered if my disgust was showing on my face. This was...not the plan I'd envisioned.

"Quite impossible, I'm afraid. To open a stable-linked probabilistic binding, you'd need three things, none of which exist in this world." He popped a finger up dramatically, for emphasis. "Yet!"

"What do we need?" I sighed.

"Well, you'd need someone who can create a device which can tunnel through to other probabilities. Like, a telephone."

I blinked at him. "We need a telephone?"

"Speaking metaphorically, of course. And then you also need someone on the other end to pick up. An object, infused with tachyons quantum-linked to the stable-linked probabilistic binding you're intending to reach."

"Does this make...any sense?" I asked him. And then I realized what a stupid question that was and turned to AEGIS. "Does this make any sense?"

"Um...working on it. And number three?"

"You need a line, to connect the two. Metaphorically speaking, again. More specifically, you need a semistable void medium to exist between the proximal probabilities, for the binding to traverse."

"Yes, of course," I nodded. "You're insane."

"Not insane," he smiled at me. "It is my calling."

"Does that matter, though?" I asked. "If none of these things even exist, all we know is that there are things out there that we know don't exist. That's not very helpful, in any capacity."

"I'm gonna talk to him a while longer and see if I can get something...maybe more technical than his metaphors...but less...rife with jargon," AEGIS said. "Granted that we have less than an hour...this might just...suck."

"I...I do have an idea, though. Crazy as it might be," I said.

"Yeah? You understood something?" Her eyes lit up behind her round glasses.

I shook my head. "Not even remotely. But I do know one person who knows more about dimension-hopping than anyone else in the multiverse."

"Aesa," she gaped. "But she uses Exhuman powers to travel, it might not be remotely compatible with what the gasbag--" she grinned at Tobias, who nodded with an ignorant smile "--erm, what he's saying."

"Maybe not. But it's all we've got. If we're gonna believe that Mage's power is behind all this, I've gotta follow whatever hunch I find, right?"

"I...I guess so. But...but she and Al could be anywhere. How are you supposed to find her, much less contact her?"

"You forget," I grinned. "I've been aboard their vessel a couple times now. I've got a plan."