“Don’t even think of putting me in there!” said Ms. Wembley in her best ‘speaking to the manager’ voice.

“We don’t test things on prisoners,” Said Zara

“Speak for yourself, I’m more than happy to throw her in and see what happens.” Said Myles, earning himself a disapproving glare from Zara.

“We don’t test things on prisoners,” Reiterated Zara. “But we will be having a very close look at this company of hers once we get out

Everyone paused their banter to look at the thing Myles had pulled out of his inventory. It was a large white cube. Styled very much like the armour, or more accurately the Trigger he was bonded to. The look Zara and Ms. Wembley gave it lacked the proper enthusiasm it deserved.

“I’m betting it will be bigger on the inside.” Myles hypothesised, defending his cube.

“Go and take a look then” Said Zara who was having trouble believing this inert-looking white cube was the solution to all of their problems.

Walking around the structure Myles found nothing. He circled the big cube again, and nothing.

“Alright, I’m stumped.” He said turning to Zara and Ms. Wembley

“Did you try… Hold on was that door there before?” said Zara

Myles turned to face the cube again and saw a door occupying a space where it had previously not existed. In for a penny in for a pound, Myles opened the door and walked into the cube.

“I told you it would be bigger on the inside.” Said Myles looking around the cube.

The Cube was not a huge amount bigger, but he could tell the insides took up more room than the outside suggested. He shut the door behind him. He paced across the room, but there was nothing, it was just an empty room… the light did not seem to have a source. It gave the room an odd, odd feeling. Turning around Myles was greeted with the absence of a door. A slight moment of panic as he spun, thinking he had simply had some kind of brain blip and the door was back, on what he would swear was a different wall. He exited the Cube and found himself several meters away from where he entered the cube.

“Where the bloody hell did you go?” asked Zara “The Cube vanished when the door shut and then it and you reappeared over there.”

Myles explained his experience in the cube, the moving doors and the unknowable light source.

“I still don’t see how this gets us out of here.” Said Zara.

“Maybe we are missing something.” Said Myles

“Does that thing have a toilet?” Said Ms Wembley, “because I’m about ready to lay some pipe and all that jostling about was not helping.”

The decision to never talk about the moment of inspiration was made then and there. It was committed to so much Myles would spend several hours in the Lamb & Flag scrubbing it from his brain with not just the regular booze but the special bottles they kept behind the bar out of sight of any law enforcement officers. The cube was made from a genius loci that overlapped two dimensions, if he positioned it just right, it could act as a pipe between the turn and regular reality.

“Follow me… and I don’t suppose you could carry her?” Said Myles, slowly stepping away from Ms. Wembley.

The Trio arrived at the edge of the turn in short order give or take a stop at a public restroom and the re-application of duct tape. It was a quiet little road leading out of town. Not many houses lead on to a mostly quiet road and fields upon fields of board cows.

“Okay Endeavour, why are we here? It better be worth me having to stand guard in a public restroom that stank like the flush hasn’t worked in weeks.” Said Zara.

Letting his actions speak for him, Myles called the Cube and let it manifest half in and half out of the fairly purple barrier marking where the cosmic hernia was occurring. He opened the door, wedging it to remain open and wiled the cube into manifesting a door on the opposite side. He strode through the empty luminescent room and opened the second door to reveal a blue sky.

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“Ta-da!” said Myles with complimentary jazz hands. “Maybe I should take you up on the Children’s birthday party, I could make good money.”

“What makes you think I’d have been paying you?” Said Zara “The joy and laughter of children is a reward in and of itself.”

“Just look at the sky smart arse.” Said Myles

One look at the blue sky and Zara was immediately on her phone. Myles proceeded to grab Ms. Wembley as she ran past, having tried to make a break from the two bastards who had her wrapped up in duct tape.

This was It, they could leave anytime they wanted. The excitement hit a wall when Myles considered that leaving meant gift wrapping the remaining townsfolk for the fae. Everyone would be dead in a week. Zara looked like she had finished her call.

“Zara we can’t…” Myles started.

“Leave just yet…” Zara Finished.

“Fuck that, let’s go right now,” Said Ms. Wembley.

“I know Endeavour, we can’t leave the people, we need to evacuate them.” said Zara.

“And if we do it too soon we will spook Sweetbright Industries.” Added Myles.

“Rusty will be here in an hour and we can hand off the redhead to him, he gave us a ballpark of three weeks.” Said Zara. “He wanted to use his Ouroboros mojo, but I feel the risk of Mother breaking through if he tries to help us is too great.”

“I’m not going to argue with that, I know I’ve committed to fighting it…her… whatever, but I was hoping I could gain a few of those levels, maybe some bigger guns… maybe one that can be used from several kilometres away… you know, before I fight it.” Said Myles

“I appreciate the pragmatism.” Said Zara with a small smile. “But How did you ever think to use The cube as a tunnel?”

“It just sort of plopped into my head.” Said Myles.

The familiar orange and green lights that heralded Rusty’s arrival were a panacea for Myles. While none of his time bonded to his Trigger had been a bed of roses the time spent in the turn had been nigh constant fighting, always needing to be guarded and in the few quiet moments he had, he could feel how close he was to snapping. He was always waiting for the next fight, for the other shoe to drop, for the next big bloody monster to break through the roof of reality and make a grab for him. Rusty pulling up on the other side of the cube meant the end was in sight and gave perspective on how tightly wound he had become. Both physically and mentally Myles breathed a sigh of relief, it did little to take the edge off but it was a start.

“I see you have been looking after my town,” Said John Marquis

Myles jumped having not seen his old boss, or current boss… He had not been to work for a few months so who knew by this point.

“Don’t fucking sneak up on me like that.” Said Myles over his pounding heartbeat.

“Don’t be so Jumpy young Myles, I’m here to save the day.” Said John Marquis with the confidence only middle management could project. “While you have been slacking off here on easy mode I’ve been fighting fae in the Quantocks… Did you ever have a pitched battle on the roof of a narrowboat? I have, it was epic, glorious and the scenery was… to die for”

He had missed his friend but Myles seriously considered punching him. The other side of the cube was abuzz with activity. It seemed Rusty had not just brought John Marquis back, but he had brought along a cohort of community agents and various clean-up crew members. A basic checkpoint seemed to be under construction. Rusty and a few others wearing what he recognised as clean-up crew uniforms approached him.

“Good to see you, Myles.” Said Rusty, placing a sturdy hand on Myles’ shoulder. “We all thought the worst when the plan failed… Zara said something about a giant green scaly hand and you being a tit picking fights.”

“Harsh, but pretty accurate,” said Myles

Before Rusty had a chance to properly catch up with Myles a small Indian woman barged in front of him and started examining him. To those less acquainted with science it looked a lot like she was feeling Myles up. Stumped, Myles looked over to Rusty for confirmation he wasn’t imagining the surprise science groping.

“Sorry Dad, you know how she gets,” said a tall redhead. “And you! Let her examine you or I’ll kick the shite out of you.”

The redhead stood next to Rusty and the family resemblance was immediately apparent

“I’m sorry about this Myles, the bossy one is my daughter Cáit and the woman who should have bought you dinner first is Maya Singh.” Rusty said apologetically

“Dr. Maya Singh thank you, Rusty. I didn’t go to medical groping school not to use my title when I stomp on peoples personal boundaries.”

“At least I’m dealing with a professionally qualified pervert.” grunted Myles “Dr. Singh, could you at least tell me why you are poking and prodding me?”

“You are the Tomnadashan Trigger user, John said you were special and I want to see if I can figure out what he meant.” said a very excited Dr Singh.

“Probably the part where I was dead for a bit,” said Myles.

Before Myles knew it, he was being pushed to the ground and a loud bang had rung out. As he reorientated himself from the asphalt floor he saw Rusty wrestling a large blue gun from his daughter

“Let me go Dad! he’s already a fucking Zombie.” Shouted an outraged Cáit. “We need to be putting him down before he gets up to some Fairy Trigger murder bollocks.”

His defence came from a rather unexpected source.

“Hey, Myles was running himself ragged defending this place from horde after horde of creepy little monsters, and some not-so-little monsters. This pound shop albino was the only thing stopping bum-fuck nowhere from turning into an all-you-can-eat long pig snack bar for the things outside.” Said Zara, the most heated he had seen her since he first met her.

Myles touched his hair reflexively, he kept forgetting his hair had turned white. Albino might be a bit harsh. sure he didn’t like outside and he was a factor one hundred guy when he had to… Now that he thought of it, he had lost a lot of weight and hardly slept, he probably did look like a zombie… a pasty albino zombie.

Cáit was carted off by her Dad and given a stern talking-to. It was comforting to know that shooting allies without running it by the chain of command was frowned upon in the community. Myles could get behind not being shot on sight. Two thumbs up. He did have one more pressing matter to deal with, however.

“Dr. Singh, could you get off me please.” Asked Myles

The good Doctor was still atop Myles had a tape measure out and was peering under his top.

“I can’t see any sign of trauma,” Dr Singh said to herself. Before leaning in and whispering. “You are keeping Llex secret right?”

Before Myles could answer Zara came to his rescue again and lifted Dr Singh up and off him with one hand and tossed her over a nearby hedge.

“Will she be alright?” Asked Myles, who had given up on keeping track of what was going on and just fancied a quiet sit down with a cup of tea.

“Maya will outlive us all. In the distant future, all that will be left is cockroaches running away from her as she tries to experiment on them” said Zara. “Anyway, you have training to get back to, Rusty has everything in hand here and we might as well make the most of the remaining time here.”

Zara helped Myles back to his feet and headed back to the former park. John Marquis was telling a wide-eyed community agent about his Quantock boat fight as Zara yanked his collar and dragged him along for more training. Zara turned back to the crowd who were busy securing the cube.

“If anyone or anything else interrupts scheduled training today I’m shooting it.” Shouted Zara.

Myles wondered if he would have been better off letting Cáit shoot him.