Emmett stretched out his perception across the abandoned warehouse. He’d spent the last few days seeking out abandoned lots and junkyards, and scrounging through underground tunnels. Emmett didn’t need to worry about water damage, he just needed raw material.

SATURATE SELF

Nanites swarmed across the walls and floor of the warehouse toward Emmett. The mass had grown thicker over the last few days. It coated every surface of the room like a layer of ink, and the swarm was so thick that Emmett could make out tiny waves rippling across the surface.

He could see and feel a difference.

The weight of the swarm had grown—not just physically, but mentally. At the same time, his own capabilities had grown.

The metaphorical weight was still there, but Emmett could lift it far easier now.

TINA insisted on helping Emmett, just like when he used to lift weights with Antony, but TINA claimed he needed far less help now. At first, Emmett thought she’d just been saying that to make him feel better, but he wanted to trust her.

He did trust her.

The nanites slithered up his legs, across his suit, and settled beneath his disguise layer.

CAUTION — OVERFLOW

NANITES 165% CAPACITY

Emmett sighed with satisfaction. It was time to head back and check on Clara and Athena.

~

Emmett climbed the fire escape and lingered at the window. He didn’t see Clara or Athena. The main living area of the apartment was empty.

“TINA, is everything alright? Where is everyone?”

“Clara and Athena are still in the living room.”

“Are they trying out a new cloaking method…”

Emmett trailed off as he scanned the room. Even if they were, Emmett should’ve seen something in his vision. It didn’t matter whether it was nanites or magic, his ultraviolet or infrared vision should’ve revealed it.

Suddenly, a small orb appeared on the living room wall. It glowed in his UV vision and grew steadily wider until it was a spherical gateway as tall as a person.

Clara and Athena stepped through it, wide smiles on both of their faces.

For a brief moment, Emmett hesitated. Clara hadn’t smiled much since their argument about Lock. A part of him didn’t want to interrupt that—

But Athena had also made a breakthrough. Emmett didn’t waste anymore time. He practically leapt through the window.

“You got it to work!”

“Yep!” Athena beamed. She held the staff up and pretended like she was choking it. “No thanks to this blasted thing.”

Clara elbowed her. “Someone had to break one of its internal crystals.”

Athena rolled her eyes, then pushed Clara backward with a barrier. The two women chuckled, and Emmett smiled to see them in such good spirits.

“So, are you gonna show me what we’ve got?” Emmett asked.

Athena waved him over to the glowing portal. “Don’t get too excited. It’s a glorified closet right now.”

Emmett patted her on the shoulder. “It’s still a win.”

Emmett stepped through the portal. Just like at the carnival, he felt a lurch. However, this time it was much less jarring. Instead of feeling like he was falling, it really felt like the lurch of an elevator.

When Emmett set foot on the other side, he understood why.

Athena was right. It really was just a closet. The room was only a foot or two bigger than the clothes closets they had in the bedrooms. The walls were made out of the exact same drywall as the rest of the apartment.

Two cans of chili and a toaster lay haphazardly on the floor.

Athena stepped through with the staff and stood next to Emmett.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“...Is that it?”

Athena scoffed. “I’d like to see you make something better.”

Emmett reached for the staff, and Athena pulled it away.

She said, “That was a joke. Leave some powers for the rest of us… I know it’s not much, but it’s a start.”

“I was joking. It’s awesome, Athena. We needed this break.” Emmett pointed to the cans and toaster. “You know that’s for bread, right?”

Athena rolled her eyes again. “I had to test it to make sure it wouldn’t collapse on us. Unless you’d rather use Clara as a test—”

“No. Chili’s better.”

Athena glanced over her shoulder at the gateway. “You know, if you need to talk about anything… I’m not going to play relationship counselor, but I can listen.”

“It’s that obvious, huh?”

Athena scoffed. “Yes.”

Emmett sighed. “Maybe. Let’s, uh… Let’s go back out.”

Emmett didn’t wait for Athena to reply. He stepped back out into the living room and nearly into Clara, startling them both. For a moment, their eyes locked on each other. Her smile wavered.

Then Athena stepped back into the living room.

Athena didn’t notice them. “So, I really, really hope that was the hardest part. Now I can focus on expanding it.”

Emmett turned awkwardly and tried to focus on the new demiplane. “So, how does that work exactly? Why is it a closet instead of something open air, like the carnival?”

Athena replied, “There’s a closet on the other side of this wall. The demiplane is going to use whatever it’s around as a template—that’s why the old demiplane took on the look of the boardwalk carnival.”

“Can we move it?” Clara asked. “Trick it into filling up a bigger room?”

Athena glanced back at the portal in thought and tapped the staff against her palm. Meanwhile, Clara leaned against Emmett’s shoulder. He glanced down at her, wondering if she’d bumped into him, but she stayed close.

Emmett put his arm around her shoulder, and she didn’t shy away.

“I guess that’s the next step, isn’t it—” Athena hesitated when she saw Emmett and Clara close, but then she continued. “I should be able to move it to another room. I just hope it behaves more like pouring water into a glass instead of popping like a soap bubble.”

Concern bled into Clara's voice. “If the demiplane pops, the apartment will be alright… right?”

Athena smiled. “Yes. But I might lose what’s left of my sanity. If it pops, I’ll have to start over.”

Emmett held out his other hand jokingly.

Athena clutched the magic staff. “Don’t even think about it.”

~

Emmett and Clara went back to their own skills practice while Athena continued work on the demiplane.

Concentrating was more difficult than usual.

Emmett continued pushing and pulling on his swarm, but he continually found himself distracted by both of his roommates. Athena visibly struggled with the demiplane. There was much less chanting and waving of the staff now, but she was clearly struggling. It seemed like moving the demiplane had become solely a battle of will, like Athena had to psychically drag the demiplane where she wanted it to go.

Meanwhile, Emmett spared other glances toward Clara. She continued to meditate and smolder and not pay any attention to him at all. Emmett kept hoping to meet her eyes, but she kept them closed.

They still hadn’t talked about the argument about Lock and Gnosis. Ever since, Emmett felt like he and Clara had been tiptoeing around each other. They hadn’t talked much at all.

At least now it felt like the tension between them was loosening.

Still, Emmett couldn’t help but wonder if they were going to talk about it. Maybe they wouldn’t talk about it at all.

Maybe they shouldn’t.

Why reopen a wound that was starting to heal?

Emmett wrestled with those thoughts the rest of the day—

Until Athena shouted with excitement. “I got it!”

She snapped both Emmett and Clara out of their respective trances. The pair hopped up and walked over.

Athena wiped the sweat from her forehead.

The portal was on the floor in front of her.

“Uh, where does it go?” Clara asked.

“Come on,” Athena replied casually. Then she jumped into the portal and disappeared.

Emmett smirked. “You heard her.”

He jumped into the portal and lurched as he fell through. He fell ten feet and hit the floor, then stepped out of the way so Clara could follow. She came through a second later, tucking and rolling across the floor.

Emmett looked up and saw the portal swirling above them on the ceiling.

Clara said, “That’s going to take some getting used to.”

A basement was the best description. The demiplane roughly mirrored the apartment above, except that it was all one big room. There weren’t any kitchen counters or bedrooms or closets, and there weren’t any windows. Emmett could just make out swirls of fog around the walls.

Emmett clapped Athena on the shoulders. “Good job!”

Athena made an exaggerated bow. “Thank you, thank you! Now, that’s enough for today. I need a nap.”

Athena jumped and grabbed the edge of the portal, then hauled herself up and out of the demiplane, leaving Emmett and Clara behind.

Silence settled between them.

“Athena doesn’t give herself enough credit,” Clara said suddenly. “We wouldn’t have made it this far without her.”

“Yeah.”

“We need her… And we need each other.”

Clara turned and met his eyes. Emmett was holding his breath and his heart felt like it had stopped.

Finally, he nodded. “I need you. Not just to now, not just to survive the Brotherhood—”

Clara stepped forward, threw her arms around his neck, and hugged him tightly. “I know. I know.”

Emmett held her close. Since their fight, it’d felt like a rift had opened up between them and they’d been standing on two sides of a chasm. Now it felt like she’d thrown him a lifeline. Emmett didn’t want to let go.

The two supers lost themselves in each other, melting together like solder.

When the demiplane was hazy with steam and the pair was spent, they got dressed and climbed back up to the apartment. Emmett had to boost Clara up to reach the portal, then he leapt through.

He wasn’t sure how long had passed since they’d left, but Athena’s snoring drifted down the hall.

~ ~ ~