"She ain't wrong," growled Jeremy, glaring at Viper. The man glanced at a nearby chair, but it was clear by now he had no friends in this room. "Motherfucker owes us some lives."

  Viper shrugged. He got to his feet. "Do whatever the hell you want. I'm out. I'll testify. Promised Nishimura I wasn't gonna fuck with her, and it's my fault she got fucked with anyway, so I owe her. I owe Rook too. Past that, if y'all need my help, you know how to find me."

  He glanced around the room—not at the people, but at the walls, incredulous, and at Lily in the corner.

  "Fuckin' hell…" he muttered. "Portals."

  He left.

  About damn time. Jeremy shook his head. "Asshole," he muttered. "That guy used to be on your council?"

  "We didn't exclude anyone," said Rachel.

  "Maybe you damn well should have."

  "Excluded me," added Jackie. "Kinda wish I'd been in on this shit a lot sooner."

  "You told me you were happy ignoring it as long as we weren't a problem," said Rachel quietly. "Right before we went to the RV park."

  "Changed my damn mind." Jackie sighed. "I'm still in your corner, girl. I'm just sayin'... wish I would've known."

  "You and me both," said Jeremy.

  "What's next?" asked Josh.

  "Anyone else want to let us know how they stabbed somebody here in the back?" said Ryan, rolling his eyes. "I figure we've got at least two more to go through, right?"

  "Why are you here?" asked Courtney, eyeing him with frustration.

  Ryan shrugged. "'Cause Rachel thinks I'm hilarious," he replied, dead-serious.

  "He's here," said Rachel, shooting him a frustrated look, "because he's actually very smart and good in a fight, when he's not trying to be the biggest asshole in the room."

  "Uh oh. Rachel's swearing, guys," Ryan whispered. "We're in real trouble now."

  "We ought to discuss the next movements for the National Guard," said Courtney, a touch of irritation still coloring her voice. "They're awaiting my next command right now."

  "They are?" asked Ryan, raising an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

  "The Governor of Washington," said Josh irritably. "Keep up, man."

  "Thought you said he was smart," muttered Jeremy.

  "Hey," said Ryan, and his voice was suddenly dead-serious again. "I've been busy getting nearly killed by every fucking thing out there. I just wanted to keep my head down. But what do you know, I decide to finally poke my head out again, go to the market, and what the fuck should happen but a goddamn firing squad massacre?"

  Ryan got to his feet, jacket over his shoulder. For a brief moment, Jeremy could see the preppy college kid he'd always expected to find. He headed to the door, but stopped for just a moment to turn back to Rachel.

  "I'm out too. Rachel, kill him, and let me know when it's done. I'll be in the Greywood curled up in a tiny ball and praying to every god I can think of to protect me."

  ...Well that's a fuckin' exit… Jeremy glanced at his siblings. Courtney seemed taken aback by Ryan's sudden candor. Maddie looked uncomfortable, and ended up being the next voice in the increasingly-empty room.

  "So what are we going to do?" she asked quietly.

  "Kill him," said Ruby. "Ryan said it best."

  "I can't agree to that."

  Ruby rolled her eyes. "You and every other elected official."

  "We're the ones protecting you right now," Maddie shot back. "You know they're trying to take you away, right?"

  Cinza shook her head. "You will not shock us with news of the government's foul accusations. Ruby knows, and both of us find it despicable. She is never leaving my side, nor I hers."

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  "You know," said Maddie, "shit like that is exactly why people are worried about you."

  "Let them worry." Cinza turned back to Rachel. "Brian must die. You understood this with Jackson, and you should understand it now. The justification is the same."

  "It isn't," Jackie shot back. "We ain't trapped, and Brian ain't awakened. He can be arrested. We already agreed to that."

  "It is not a risk we should take." Cinza frowned. "I know you care for Natalie—"

  "It's not just her, and you know it," said the sheriff.

  "Killing him is too risky," said Boris suddenly. "It will only provoke more hate. He will be a martyr."

  "I thought we already agreed killing him was a bad idea," said Neffie uncomfortably. "When did it become okay again?"

  When everybody remembered he's a fucking mass-murdering genocidal maniac, Jeremy fumed, but he didn't know the woman well enough to feel comfortable leaping on her like that.

  "She's right," said Rachel. "We should lure him into a trap, as Viper suggested."

  "And then what?" asked Cinza. "Throw him to the authorities, to deal with?"

  "Didn't have a problem with that in London," said Neffie.

  "I was there for Hailey, and to find Rook. I had no feud with Cornelius Malton, scum that he is." Cinza shook her head. "Brian betrayed us. His own town. He is the reason you're homeless."

  "That was Omega."

  "I assure you, without Brian's help, Jackson would never have accomplished what he did." Cinza paused, and a dark look crossed her face before she went on. "If he hadn't… Morton might be alive. Brittany might still have both of her legs. Aaron might be alive. These are crimes I can never forgive."

  Again, Neffie shot a brief glance at Rachel. Jeremy had noticed it the first time, and now again the second, but he wasn't sure what to make of it.

  Cinza got up, and her trio matched her movement. "If you manage to capture him, I applaud you. For now, I'll wait until Natalie makes a move. If there's an opportunity, I will kill Brian Hendricks."

  She glanced at Josh. He shook his head, and Cinza didn't react in the slightest. She walked out of the room, Makoto and Ruby right on her heels. The door clicked closed behind them.

  "Don't let him die, Rachel," said Neffie, glaring at her. "Don't you dare put that on Natalie too."

  Neffie got up and left too. Boris followed her silently, but handed a small piece of paper to Rachel as he passed by. Jeremy doubted anybody else had noticed, but he sat at the perfect angle, and his eyes only barely caught the quick slip. Boris was very good.

  Huh. Former spook. Guess he's still got it.

  Jeremy glanced around, and realized that—with the lone exception of Josh Miller—the room had shrunk just to the people he actually knew, not anyone connected to the Greywood. His sisters still sat next to him, of course, and Rachel remained alone at the head of the room. Lily still sat in the corner, eyes closed and taking the occasional deep breath. The only remaining link between the groups sat on his other side—and she wasn't happy.

  Jackie didn't say anything, but Jeremy could feel it. He'd known her too long ever to miss the telltale signs. She was seriously upset.

  He got to his feet—and coincidentally, both Maddie and Courtney had stood at the same time.

  "You're leaving too?" Rachel asked, and Jeremy noted the faint trace of desperation in her tone.

  "Gotta get back to D.C.," said Maddie uneasily. "Got the President, Secretary Gatiss, and my whole staff waiting on me."

  "The National Guard needs my next orders," said Courtney. "I'll have them start coordinating search and rescue efforts for anyone who fled the massacre and may be stranded in the forest. Beyond that…" Courtney shook her head. "I've got to start tallying the dead and contacting their next-of-kin," she murmured.

  Rachel nodded. "Well… good luck."

  "We're headin' back too," added Jeremy, including Jackie though she hadn't stood up yet. She took the cue, to his relief, and hurriedly joined him. "Gotta keep an eye on Hendricks. We can't touch him while Natalie's guardin' him, sure, but we can make sure he doesn't go anywhere else."

  "Okay." Rachel forced a smile. "Thank you both."

  "Stay safe," said Jackie.

  As soon as all four of them left the room, Maddie practically leapt on Jeremy, burying him in a hug. "You stay safe, you idiot," she growled into his shoulder.

  "Yeah, yeah," said Jeremy. "I'll be fine. Get goin'. Isn't it past lunch in D.C.?"

  "Yeah." Maddie turned to her sister. "Get those reports to me as soon as you can? We'll want them."

  Courtney nodded. "I'll be in touch."

  She smirked. "Never thought I'd be happy to hear that."

  Courtney rolled her eyes. Jeremy grinned.

  Maddie glanced around the empty black void again, her eyes wide. "Where the fuck are we…" she muttered.

  Jeremy shrugged. "I stopped botherin' to ask questions like that, Maddie."

  "Same," murmured Jackie. "This crap never stops bein' weird."

  Jeremy's sisters left after one last brief hug, heading out different doors, different directions, leaving Jeremy and Jackie alone.

  "...I think I've lost it, Ashe," Jackie muttered as they reached their door—and the Rallsburg ruins beyond.

  "What?"

  "Agreein' to killin' people without due process, twice. Agreein' to kill Natalie's father before she can ever talk to him again." Jackie shook her head. "Ain't right."

  Jeremy nodded. "None of it's right. Whole system's fucked. Hendricks is the block in the damn machine."

  "Don't go on about the stupid machine again," said Jackie. "I wish I'd never agreed to kill him."

  "...Which one?"

  "Both of 'em," she sighed. "Not sayin' it wasn't necessarily for the best, but…" She looked away, back into the street beyond the door. "I just don't know anymore."

  He's gotta die… except now Jeremy was having his own doubts. Jackie was his partner, no matter the situation. He trusted her more than he did himself. If she had misgivings, he did too.

  "I agree with you," Jeremy said finally.

  Jackie visibly sagged with relief. "Thank god."

  "It's not a good idea, like Rachel said, and Boris and whoever the fuck else."

  "Neffie."

  "Right." Jeremy scratched his head. "I don't remember a Neffie in Rallsburg."

  "Her legal name's Nefertiti," said Jackie. "After some pretty Egyptian queen."

  "Huh." Jeremy shrugged. "We'll just go back to where we were."

  "So that meeting was useless as hell," said Jackie, grinning slightly.

  Jeremy laughed. "Yup. Exactly like every other fuckin' meeting we ever went to."

  "Glad to have you back, Ashe."

  "Glad to be back."