Buttercup paced back and forth, his hands in his hair. “Oh man, oh man. I can’t believe we did that. We’re fucked!”

“Calm down,” Leah said. “We’ve lost them for now.”

“Umm, yeah… Emphasis on ‘now’. What the hell are we going to do when he catches back up?”

What do you think? Leah could have said. Keep shooting and hope he drops before we do. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Liam Fenix gasped for air from the shelf he had floundered onto. “I’m gonna need a breather. You all might be in good shape, but I’m not exactly built to run a marathon like this.”

Kurt massaged a wound in his knee. “I could use a break too. Leg’s not working right. I think the bone might’ve been chipped.”

“Come on,” Leah said. “We’ve barely been moving an hour. Give it a couple more before we start hunkering down.”

She looked around the office building they had taken as a refuge. The windows had been boarded up and the parking lot was clear of blindspots, but they were far from secure, should anything greater than small-arms fire come their way. The added height gave them miles of vision, at least.

“Our companions do raise a fair point,” Mastermind said. “Hades will require some time to rally reinforcements, and even the best Hunters wouldn’t be able track our path before tomorrow. We should use this opportunity to strategize a more effective response.”

“What do you suggest then?” Leah asked. “Pandemonium’s burned. There’s no going back any time soon.”

“No thanks to you!” Buttercup shouted.

She narrowed her gaze. “What did you just say?”

“You’re the one who dragged us into this mess, and you’re the one who’s only made it worse. Why should we care what Hades does to a human?”

Liam Fenix stirred. “You know I’m right h–”

“Where would you be without me, Buttercup?” Leah snapped. “Still cleaning streets? Maybe slinging cards at Elysium? Let’s not forget that you came to me. I’m sorry that you’re in over your head, but I won’t take shit from anyone just because they thought we were getting easy pics!”

But he did not back down. “Don’t act all high and mighty just because you’re too proud to admit you fucked up. We’re all going to die, and that’s on you.”

Leah couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t the insubordination that insulted her half as much as his sheer arrogance. Did he have any clue how high the stakes had been?

She pointed to the door. “Tell you what, Buttercup. Why not try your luck on your own? I won’t stop you.”

He grit his teeth. “Come on, you know I can’t just do that.”

“Oh, so now you need me again. Fucking great. Maybe instead of bitching about shit we can’t change, you can shut the fuck up and let me deal with it, just like I always do for you.”

Buttercup stormed off with a scoff. Of course he’d be the first to crack. He was the youngest member of her crew, and Leah was never quite sure how she felt about him. The extra wealth might’ve turned him into a rebellious ass, but Hunting had also instilled a level of boldness he deserved to have.

But damn, did it piss her off sometimes. Younger rezzers only knew the world for what it was, not how it’d been. They had no idea how quickly it could all go to shit, or what the old guard had done to make the city stable to begin with. And to think that he had the temerity to challenge her? Did he not know how impossible her day had become the moment this goldmine landed in her lap?

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

How Leah wanted nothing more than to kill all the dead weight and shoulder this burden alone, just like she once had.

Her radio crackled. Leah wouldn’t have noticed at all had it not been attached to the inside of her sheepskin jacket. Everyone fell silent as she held the radio up.

“I’m glad you chose hope,” Mother said from the other end.

“Doesn’t quite feel that way,” Leah responded. “We could really use some of your people right now.”

“I’m not in the hospital, and I won’t be back there for a very long time. We have more important work to get done.”

Leah didn’t like her tone. It was the type that someone used before saying “I told you so” and giving a smug grin. “Why don’t we meet up then? Can’t say I like talking to you through an unsecured line.”

“There’s no time. Forces are moving against our future. The apocalypse will soon hit its crest, and humanity will be no more. What was started twelve years ago must be put to rest. It’s the only chance this world has.”

She sighed. “Stop speaking in riddles, Mother. If you’ve got a plan, I’m all ears.”

“I’m telling you the plan, you’re just not listening. In order to save tomorrow, we have to return to yesterday. Do you remember where you started, Leah? Has your reservoir held strong enough, all these long years later?”

She weighed the thought. “Yes.”

“Good. Mine has as well. That’s our advantage here. Hades doesn’t care about where we were or where we’re going. History is immaterial to the man who lives only in the present. That is why I’m asking you to bring Liam to the one place that he won’t know to follow: your own past. Relive that story, and I will provide you with another.”

What game is this? Leah knew exactly where she wanted them to go. “Seems kind of far to travel for a meet, especially with the added baggage.”

“And it will be longer still before we are done. You have to trust me.” She paused. “Just as you once had.”

Evading Hades while in the ruins of metropolis was one feat, but traversing the country with his soldiers at their heels was another. This was a risky journey with a slim chance on the best of conditions, and would be even more unimaginable when dragging a living human across such inhospitable terrain.

And yet, Mother was calculating beyond measure. She would not make such a request unless there was no alternative.

“I suppose you’ve got us over a barrel this time, Mother. You want my trust for now? You’ve got it.” Leah glared at the radio, as if to will her loathe through. “But don’t you dare make me regret this. I’ve fought too long just to die over your bullshit.”

“I understand,” she said. “My time is up. Don’t lose yourself, Leah. It’s all that keeps you whole.”

A distant growl ruptured the stillness of the room as a cluster of motorcycles echoed from afar. Leah rushed to the window and caught sight of them flying across the highway. Details fell into focus as she narrowed in with her binoculars, making out the white lab coat and feminine frame of Mother soaring across the barren highway. A troupe of her elite guard road behind, with their green scrubs and AK-47s. All flew due North, where Leah and the others would soon be heading.

Just another fucking day in paradise, huh? she thought.

“What the hell just happened?” Buttercup asked.

“I guess you could say we got ourselves a contract,” Leah considered. “We’re going on a road trip.”

“How far we talking?”

“Far enough to retrace twelve years of history and go to the place where I first hollowed.” She sighed. “We’re going to Reno.”

His eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

“Got any better ideas?”

He fell mum.

Liam Fenix took a step forth. “Hold on a second… If we’re going there, we’d have to cross through Sequoia, am I right?”

“So?”

He grinned. “That’s where my wife and daughter went, remember? We’d be right on the way.”

Not this shit again. Leah put her face in her palm. “I told you, it’s been twelve years. She’s gone.”

“Seems to me like we’re both trying to do the same thing. You have your history to track, and I have mine. Work with me on this one, yeah?”

No wonder Mother had pushed that angle so hard. She must have been speaking to both of them, and not just her. That’s what you get for giving her an inch. Leave it to Mother to always have some hidden card under the table. There would be no way to keep the fantasy out of his head now, and if Leah wanted any hope of keeping him compliant, she’d have to capitulate to his demand.

“Fine,” she said. “We’ll visit your town on the way. Just don’t do anything stupid.”

He nodded. “Of course. This won’t be my first hike in the mountains.”

“It’s settled then.” She turned to the others, and Buttercup in particular. “Unless anyone has any objections?”

They stayed silent.

“Great. Patch yourselves up, pack your shit, and get ready to roll. We don’t stop until I say. Got it?”

“You won’t regret this,” Liam Fenix said.

She already did.