After setting down the skyscraper, they had flown rapidly at ground level, zigzagging along streets and alleys like desperate prey seeking to throw off a predator. Marius finally ended their desperate flight by taking them into an unoccupied hotel room through a window he operated with the kinetic talent. Marius had drawn the curtains shut and tackled Mike when he attempted to turn on the room light. Since that time, they had sat in silence on the room's single double bed.

Mike eventually reclined on his side, propping pillows beneath his head. "Boss?"

"Keep it quiet," Marius whispered back.

"I thought that Nallit guy died throwing an asteroid at your old planet."

"Wishful thinking on my part. How did he get here? Even if he survived the cataclysm, he should have arrived with the Chekowans, not years before them. Maybe he really is a demon."

"Uh . . . I'm hungry."

"Drink some water from the tap in the bathroom."

Mike rolled his eyes. He would just have to endure the hunger pangs for a while. At least he was getting some rest. He turned over onto his back to stare at the ceiling. Within his mind, he felt the steady flow of power rushing through his mind. He was generating his own precursor now, somehow. The few details of the circumstances he could recall were rapidly fading from memory. "Is it weird I can't remember what I did to ignite my power? One moment I had an idea about . . . changing my thinking . . . and the next I know I'm coming back to myself with power exploding out my ass."

"That's how it goes," Marius said. "Whatever mental state we enter doesn't translate back to normal consciousness."

Mike cleared his throat. "Slightly awkward question. Am I stronger than you?"

"These things are hard to gauge, Mike. If one of us is generating more precursor than the other, the difference isn't significant." Marius turned from his perch on the bed facing the window to fix a skeptical eye on him. "The skill disparity, however, is vast."

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"For sure, Imperator Marius."

"The formal address is Imperator Tyler Marius. Informally you can use Imperator or even call me by first name in private."

"You got it, boss."

Marius might have laughed at that.

"Can I turn on the television, Imperator Tyler Marius Boss Sir?"

"Keep the volume off. I want to be able to hear the street sounds."

Mike turned on the television, muted the volume, turned on closed captioning, and found a news channel. As Marius stared intently at the closed curtain as if expecting a monster to burst inside, the news anchors spun an insane kaleidoscope of factual information, wild speculation, government advice, and video replays. Most prominent among the video clips were two specific segments. The first showed Marius hamming it up in an epic pose while beneath the Empire State Building. The second was of Mike gasping for air after setting it down. Beneath the action shots, the caption read 'Unidentified heroes catch Empire State Building'. Mike thought that might please Marius, but decided to hold onto the good news until after the man had stopped freaking out.

City leaders wanted everyone to remain inside wherever they were currently. All roads and subways had been shut down so that only emergency services could use them. Though everyone was being urged to be calm, there was video of people rushing across various bridges on foot. The reporters emphasized that terrorists were active on the streets and that staying indoors was the safest option at present. A video began to play of men indiscriminately killing bystanders with kinetic abilities. In the middle of the action, the video cut to a news anchor's face as she informed them of breaking news. Mike read the captioning as a video began to play in the corner of the screen, showing a woman killing the rogue kinetics.

"You know that woman, Marius?"

"Who?"

"Turn and look at the television."

The irritation Marius wore faded away as he squinted at the image. "The video quality is too poor to be sure, but that looks like an Angmari uniform. The hair is right. I can't tell about the skin, though."

"Friend or enemy?"

"Isn't that the question?"

"This happened five minutes ago. She could still be in midtown right now."

Marius nodded. "Friend or enemy, if she learns of Nallit, she will become an ally. We need to meet up with her. Mike . . . keep your defenses up. She could kill you before you had a chance to blink."

"Any chance we can grab a bite to eat on the way? NYC is a major foodie destination. Joking. Don't look at me like that. I said I was joking."