The subway track smelled of rust and blood. It shook with the distant train.

"Will~!"

Shadows in the dark tunnel moved like reaching fingers.

"Ellie?!"

Through the shadows, it watched him. Many-limbed, many-eyed, forever hungry.

Will snapped his eyes open, and the fever dream passed over like the morning haze. He lay shivering in bed, his sheets drenched in sweat. The nightmare faded away so fast that he couldn't remember what he had seen. It took him a minute to reorient himself, and he finally reached for his slate.

It was around eight in the morning. He groaned and got up. It was late, but thankfully the shipment won't be arriving for an hour. He still had time to get ready. He dragged himself out of bed and freshened up. Fifteen minutes later, he was out of his apartment, making his way towards the old store.

The walkways were oddly deserted, and the people who were about seemed in a hurry. Will frowned and hurried along, if only to appear not out of place. He took a detour to Uncle John's shop and found it shut down. He bumped into Mary, Uncle John's daughter, on her way out.

"Will," she gasped. "You scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry," said Will. "What's going on? Why is the shop closed?"

"I don't know," Mary wrung her hands. "Dad told me to close up fast and hurry on home. I don't know what's going on."

She stuffed the store keys into her pocket and rushed off. "Sorry, Will. I really can't stay. I'll talk to you later."

Will wanted to offer to escort her back home, but the girl had rushed off before he could say a word.

"What the hell?" Will muttered. He walked away from the shop through a side alley and made his way towards the central foundation pillar of Undercity. The giant number 37 loomed ahead, and he began to climb. After a few dozen bridges, he was high above the cityscape in one of the taller buildings.

He observed people rushing about below him. There were a lot of armed men about. Little Belgrave was overrun by the guards wearing exo-suits. The skintight black armor was segmented by grey outer plating. He watched the guards close the gates to the housing complex and start manning the turrets at the gates.

Will saw similar actions taken by other factions across Undercity, and from the looks of it, the many tunnels out of the city were also being closed down. Will took out his slate and dialed his mom's number. A broken dial tone answered him. The call didn't even make it through. A chill crept up his spine. He dialed his sister, and it was the same result.

His hands shook as he dialed Remy. After about two seconds, the call was answered.

"Will, where are you?" asked Remy.

"Still in Undercity. What's going on? Everyone is going crazy around here," said Will.

"The Revenant just claimed responsibility for the attack," said Remy. "The story broke just a few minutes ago."

"Fucking hell," said Will.

"You better bunker down quick," said Remy. "Things are going to get ugly down there."

"You telling me. The whole place looks like they are going to war," said Will.

There was a beep from his slate, and Will found that Becca had joined the call.

"Have you guys heard the news?" she began when Remy cut her off.

"Yeah, we were just talking about it," said Remy.

"Things are looking bad," said Becca. "There is speculation about a second attack."

"I didn't think the Revenant could pull off a first attack, much less a second attack," said Remy. "They were a small group."

"Not so small now," Will muttered.

"Listen, Will," said Remy. "I did some digging. Remember the flight that the two mechs were in?"

"You sure we want to talk about this over the network?" asked Becca nervously.

"The call is encrypted," Remy scoffed. "I'm not an amateur. Where was I? Yes, the airship."

"Yeah, I remember the airship," said Will.

"Do you remember the make and model?"

Will frowned. "It looked like a Hummingback."

"Yes, it was modded too," said Remy. "Had those aerial recon attachments. Most likely a research vessel."

"Where are you going with this?" asked Will.

"Well, just out of curiosity, I went into the old forums, Shipwatchers. Seems like our old Hummingback had some fans. They kept track of the old bird."

"Go on," said Will, interested.

"Turns out the ship launched from Fort Thornfield," said Remy. "There is a small airstrip close to the base."

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Will fell silent as he digested the information.

"So, we have a military base, a research airship, guarded by the army, possibly holding an experimental etherite shard. Feeling conspiratorial yet?" asked Remy.

"We don't know what any of this means," said Becca.

"How does the Revenant fit into all this?" asked Will.

"No clue," said Remy. "Speaking of, you should get bunkered up fast, Will. Things are going to get ugly down there."

"Not yet," said Will. "My mom and sis are not answering my calls. I need to see that they are safe."

Will headed down with haste. The metal walkway clanged with every step.

"You be careful, Will," said Remy. "Some of the cell towers are probably down in Undercity. I'm surprised that you managed to reach us."

There was a distinct buzz in the signal the further Will went down. The static built, and soon he couldn't hear what was being said over the line.

"I'll keep you posted," said Will, hoping the slate would pick it up. "Sit tight for now."

He cut the call and checked the signal. It was dropping fast. Cursing, he stuffed the slate back into his pocket and hurried down.

His sister was at school right now. It was likely they would choose to bunker down instead of evacuating, but Will wasn't willing to risk Ellie staying there. Little Belgrave was much better protected.

An explosion sounded off in the distance, and a column of smoke rose from the south end of the city. Screams soon followed, and there was the sound of gunfire.

Will went pale, and fellow passersby rushed out of the walkways. Will swallowed. Time was running out. He looked at the bridges and gritted his teeth. He vaulted off the bridge and jumped onto the lower one. His boots slammed hard against the bridge, and he was left wincing as a jolt raced up his legs. Grimacing, Will rushed towards Ellie's school.

He dodged past running pedestrians and sprinted down alleyways. The sound of gunfire was getting closer, and there were the screams and jeers of an angry mob. A smoke trail followed them as more buildings were set on fire.

"Will!" came a yell through the rushing crowd, and he saw Ellie running towards him.

"Ellie!" Will hugged the little girl and checked her for injuries. "What happened? Why are you out of school?"

"There was an announcement in school that there was going to be a riot. Few of us snuck out to get back home," sniffed Ellie. "I don't know where the others are. We got separated in the crowd."

"Alright," said Will. "Let's get you home."

Will brought Ellie out of the crowd and headed towards the exit. Little Belgrave was only a couple of bridges away. They avoided the congested main streets, and five minutes later, they were standing at the gates of their home.

The metal gate swung open before they could even knock. A guard in a dark exo-suit dragged them in and instructed them to head on home.

It was a mad rush to their apartments, and it was only when their front door swung shut that Will breathed a sigh of relief.

Ellie slumped on a plastic chair. "What about Mom?"

"Mom's up the Tower," said Will. "She will be fine."

Will reached for his slate again, but there was no signal. Ellie nervously chewed on her fingernails as they waited.

A muffled explosion sounded off in the distance, and their windows rattled. Will took a seat beside Ellie and held her hand. She squeezed it, listening to distant gunfire. They said nothing for a long while.

The riots went on for hours. Will sat in his seat unmoving while Ellie was slumped over the table, fast asleep. The distant gunfire and explosions had abated, and a deadly calm had descended over the city.

Will breathed in long and deep, following the exercises that Becca had taught him. He was as still as a rock as he stared vacantly at the wall in front of him.

A knock at the front door woke him up, and Will stirred from his seat. Ellie woke up with a start. "Who is it?"

Will stood up and looked through the peephole. A guard in an exo-suit stood outside the door, with his helmet off. Splotches of blood dotted the armor, and his hair and face were covered in soot. It was Tim, the young guard that his mother had given a talking to a few weeks ago.

Will opened the door. "Tim. What's wrong?"

"Is Mrs. Dunn in?" he asked.

"No," said Will. "She is up the Tower. What's wrong?"

He considered Will for a moment before saying, "I think it is better for you to see it for yourself."

Will pursed his lips. He strode back into the house and grabbed a knife, handing it to Ellie.

He patted her on the head. "Lock up tight and don't let anyone in."

"Where are you going?"

"Don't worry," said Will. "I'll be back soon."

Will stepped out of the apartment and closed the door behind him. Tim nodded and gestured for him to follow.

Both of them descended down the stairs and headed out of the apartment complex. Outside was a flurry of activity.

Tim nodded towards the guards. "We held up pretty well. No one was majorly injured."

"The riots didn't reach till here?" asked Will.

"Parts of it did," said Tim. "but we held them off. Near the end, we sent some of our own forces to clean up outside the gates."

Together, both of them stepped out of the wrought iron gates of Little Belgrave. It was a quick march down the bridges, and Will walked into a burnt-out bazaar. The buildings were blackened by fire. Tim didn't stop there and escorted him through an alley to Uncle John's shop.

Will's eyes went wide to see the shop blown up. The pristine white walls were covered in soot, and a giant section of the front wall was missing.

Uncle John lay on a stretcher, coughing heavily. His white beard was singed and burnt. Will rushed forward, grabbed his hand, but the old man didn't recognize him. Half delirious, he mumbled something unintelligible.

Someone pulled Will aside. "He has a concussion. Give him some space."

Will watched the guards escort Uncle John towards a medical tent. Tim stepped beside him. "I heard you were close to the old man."

"Yeah," said Will. "Any sign of Mary?"

"She's safe at home," said Tim. "The old man refused to stay there. He didn't want anything happening to the shop."

"Where is Angus?" asked Will, worried.

"I saw him go around the back," said Tim.

"I better go check on him. Thanks, Tim," said Will; the young guard nodded. Will walked around the shop to the back entrance. Angus was seated on two boxes with a vacant look in his eyes.

Will strode forward and grabbed the boy's shoulders. "Angus, are you okay?"

The plump boy looked up, confused, then broke into a smile. "Will?!"

"How are you holding up?"

Angus shook his head and pointed at the back door. Will looked and saw a symbol scrawled in red paint. It was a crucified winged man with a blood halo around his head - the fallen angel.

Will's blood ran cold. "The Revenant?"

It was with a stark realization that his home wasn't safe anymore. Things were going to get a lot worse from here on out.

"Angus," he said seriously, and the stoic boy looked up.

"I'm going to need you to do me a favor," said Will.

"Yes?"

"I need a dose of Recypnol, you got from Ryder."

"Huh?! I don't—"

"It's right in your pocket." Will pointed at a cylindrical bulge in his shirt pocket.

"Why would you even— Wait, was that what the list was about? You were going to synthesize it?"

"Yes, but now there is no time," said Will. "I need the full drug now."

"Will—" Angus began, but Will's fingers darted nimbly and nabbed the two vials from Angus's pocket.

"Seriously, Will, Ryder is going to kill me?! We already have a buyer set for those!"

"Sorry, man. I'll pay you back. I promise." Will stuffed the vials into his pocket. A hint of guilt wormed its way into him when he saw Angus's crestfallen face. "There is something I have to do, Angus. I'll apologize to you when I'm done."

"What the hell are you planning, man?" asked Angus weakly.

Will shook his head. He turned around and walked off, clutching the vials in his pocket. He had to tame that damn shard and get enough credits before the whole of Undercity went up in flames.

There was a clatter of crates from behind him, and Angus yelled. "Ryder is not going to let this go, Will! He is going to come after you!"

"I know," said Will as he strode off. "Let him come."