"So what's the plan?" Leila whispered.

Elio leaned over and pressed his face against hers.

"Ooh, you smell nice," she said. "What is that?"

"Focus." He pointed through a gap in the ten-foot fence, off to a building in the distance where Strawberry Mansion gave way to Brewerytown. "We must get from here to there. Just there, that is my building."

"Oh, is that all? Just from here to there? That's at least a mile."

"Actually," Frank said, leaning down on her other side, "We just need to get to there for now. See that orange sign? That's a friend."

Elio said, "Are you certain this person is still a friend?"

"I'd bet my life on it," Frank said.

"Alright, then we will go in there, at Gate Three. I will take care of the guards. Then we—"

"Um, Elio?"

"Yes, Tansy?"

"When you say you will take care of the guards, you mean...?"

"It does not matter," he said, tilting his head. "You already know this." He turned back toward the community. "There is a nearly straight path through the alleys so we should easily be safe to Frank's friend. We must not linger too long there if we are to reach my home before night patrols."

"Sounds good," Frank said.

"Alright, my friends," Elio said. "Stay hidden and listen for me."

"What do you—" Tansy said, but he was already gone. She shook her head. "Is it just me, or is he acting... I don't know. Strange."

"And you're just now noticing?"

"You know what I mean."

Frank was quiet for a minute while they watched Elio walk the fenceline and disappear around the corner. "It's almost like when he says you can trust him, you wonder."

"Don't you think he just wants to take care of us?" Leila said. "I mean, look what he just gave you. And you still don't trust the man?"

"I didn't say that," Frank said. "But it does beg the question of why he didn't give it to me sooner."

"Oh. Hmm. I don't know then. He sure is pretty, though."

"So pretty," Tansy whispered.

"Hey," Frank said. "Tell me I'm pretty."

"You are many things, Frank," Tansy said, "But pretty is not a word I would use to describe you."

"Oh yeah? What words—"

A whistle from near the gate. A few seconds later, another.

They followed Elio's path around to the gate, where he stood in shadow, beckoning. "This way."

They stuck to the narrow alleys of Strawberry Mansion. Within minutes, they reached a red brick townhouse with a hand-painted orange sign on the roof sporting the word TEN in bold white lettering.

"What's ten?" Leila asked.

"Wait here," Frank said, ignoring her. He knocked on the door in a 2-3 pattern. When nobody answered, he rang the doorbell.

"What?" someone called in a whiny voice.

"Let me in."

"Sorry, Frank. Nobody in or out."

"Fuck off, Cyrus."

"Boss's orders."

"He's not the fucking boss," Frank said. "We've been over this."

"Yeah, fine." The door creaked open, and a slight, heavily freckled ginger man waved Frank in.

"I brought friends," Frank said, wedging his foot in the door before Cyrus could close it.

"Hey! I didn't—"

"Psst, come on," Frank called, towering over Cyrus to hold the door. When Tansy, Elio, and Leila were in, he closed the door and secured the deadbolt. He turned to Cyrus. "Where is he?"

"He's not gonna be pleased."

"Downstairs?"

Cyrus nodded.

Frank made a quick introduction. "Friends, Cyrus. Cyrus, friends."

At the top of the basement steps, Frank took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and bounded down the steep stairs with practiced ease.

"Hey!" he said a moment later. "The gang's all here!"

A voice bigger than Frank's boomed, "You crazy motherfucker. Out in this shit?"

They descended the stairs into a decadent 1900s style lounge, where Frank and a large man were locked in a bear hug so authentic Tansy's heart caught in her throat.

"You know how it is," Frank said. He pulled away and wiped his eyes.

"I see you brought friends," the man said. Behind him, nearly a dozen other folks sat around on couches or plush rugs, assessing the newcomers.

"Yeah! I tried to shake 'em at the gate, but they're tenacious as hell. Ray, meet Leila. She's from Pittsburgh, but we're trying not to hold it against her."

Ray cocked his head and whistled, "Damn, those Factors get realer by the minute." Leila opened her mouth to protest, but Ray just winked.

Frank stood alongside Ray and leaned in, saying, "This is Tansy."

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Ray gave Frank the briefest look before turning to her. "Tansy," he said, "Welcome." He lifted her hand and squeezed before pressing to his lips and inhaling deeply, which she found a little unsettling until a voice echoed in her ears.

Wildflowers in the sun.

"My, you are full of life, aren't you?" he said, with no hint of lechery. She looked to Frank, whose face wore a strange expression.

"Thanks for having us," she said.

"Make yourself at home," he replied. Ray took a step back and greeted the man in black. "Rivera. Been a few years."

Elio dipped his head. "Ray. A pleasure, as always."

"Yeah," Frank said. "You two would know each other." He turned to face the rest of the room. "What, you lazy fuckers can't even say hello?"

A slender woman rose from a velvet couch with the grace of a dancer and purred, "Frank, my beautiful man." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lower half into his. Leaning back with her upper body to look in his eyes, she swayed her hips ever so slowly. "Where have you been?"

He placed a hand on her lower back. "Behave," he growled, but his smile said otherwise.

Most of them stood and stretched and shook hands and introduced themselves. A few offered refreshments, a couple offered their seats. Minutes later, as if on cue, the energy died down and silence reigned over the room, undercut only by funk and blues music playing low on a vintage stereo.

Frank leaned against an upholstered wall, arms folded over his chest. Tansy watched his face, which was so full of raw emotion that she finally turned away to give him some privacy. Ray stood at the bar, glancing at Frank while pouring a drink.

Ray crossed the room and handed the glass to Frank. All eyes were on them.

In one smooth motion, Frank downed the whiskey and held the glass close to his body. He searched Ray's face, imploring.

Ray cleared his throat. "B?"

Frank shook his head almost imperceptibly.

"No," Ray whispered, closing his eyes. "Tell me."

"I was right fucking there, Ray," Frank said, his voice cracking.

"Go on."

"I don't know. She was breaking out. I was sick but I didn't know it yet. We were down at DNR when we got the news about quarantine. I didn't wanna get stuck at home so I... I said we should go to Brewerytown. The whole thing was my idea."

He took a moment to find the words. "It was so hot. She left me in the grass. I thought she would come right back, you know? I went looking but she was nowhere. Why'd she fucking leave?" he pleaded to Ray. "Then the fucking SDOs, and..." Frank took great gulps of air, struggling against it.

"Say it."

"Jesus Christ, Ray! I couldn't—" he cried. His shoulders shook. Ray took the glass from him and set it on a table.

Standing closer, Ray said, "You couldn't?"

"I couldn't!" he sobbed. "They fucking held me! She's gone, man. They shot her, point fucking blank," Frank sobbed. "Why?"

Frank rested his head on Ray's shoulder as the grief came flooding in at last.

"Who did it?" Ray said. They sat around a low table, smoking or drinking or doing their drug of choice, which for a few of them was nothing more than life.

"You won't believe it," Frank said. "You remember Cheney, from—" Frank stopped short, glancing at Leila and Tansy. "Well, from the place over by Diane's."

"Cheney's familiar. Remind me."

"Military."

"That seedy fucking bastard? Mustache?"

Frank nodded. "Remember the woman who came in with him sometimes? His so-called assistant? Tall, blonde, exceedingly muscular."

Ray snorted, "Not likely to forget."

Frank gave him a piercing look and nodded.

"What, not her?"

"She's some SDO now. Sergeant."

"I've seen her around," Cyrus said. "Talks into a bullhorn all the time. On some kind of power trip, if you ask me."

"You've seen her around here?" Ray said, pointing downward.

"Definitely. She patrols."

"We'll talk about that later."

Cyrus nodded.

Ray turned back to Frank. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, Frank. But how was she at the end?"

"Fucking glorious," Frank said, his voice full of admiration. "You should have seen her. She was Bianca again, you know?"

"Spitfire."

"Spitfire! Right up until the end."

They shared a moment of silence.

"But listen," Frank said, eager to change the subject. "When she left me there, in the grass, she had some scales like the rest of us. But by the time... Well, the last time I saw her she was covered in scales, okay? I mean, down to here. And I haven't been able to figure it out, right? Because I thought abilities had cooldowns to where she couldn't have used hers enough times in, what, an hour? Not enough to cover so much of her."

Frank's body was physically rocking with his pent up energy and the effect of whatever he had eagerly popped in his mouth.

"At least, that's what I thought until today. Because guess what, my friends—" He looked at Tansy, "—my new ability has no cooldown."

"What?" Tansy whispered.

Frank looked around the room. "First, you fuckers tell me what you think. Could you use an ability enough times in about an hour to do that? To be covered in scales like that?"

Ray turned to Cyrus, then to the woman who had embraced Frank. The rest of them exchanged glances.

"Frank, buddy," Ray said, "We don't have a clue what you're talking about."

"I'm... I don't know how to be any clearer. I'm talking about your abilities."

"Yeah, I heard that."

"Well? What do you think?"

"I think you need a warm meal, Frank. And a soft bed, and maybe somebody warm and soft to share it with. You're not talking sense, man."

Tansy said to Ray, "You don't have them, do you?" She looked around the room, then at Frank. "They don't know what you're talking about because they don't have abilities."

Frank stood. "Of course you do. The voice in your head? The thing happens? Yeah? No? Nothing?" He sat back down. "That makes no sense."

Cyrus said, "Say someone actually had some kind of ability and it really did make the scales worse. Why would anyone do it? Especially when they're falling out?"

"I'm sorry," Leila said, edging closer. "They're doing what?"

Cyrus struggled to maintain eye contact with her. "Well, clearly that's not happening for you. Look, I'm not trying to brag or anything, but yeah. Mine are almost gone."

"Fuck off," Frank said.

"What?"

"Show me."

"I'm not—"

Frank tugged at the neckline of his shirt.

"Gentle! Damn. It's vintage."

Frank stared in confusion, whispering, "What the fuck?"

"They're gone?" Tansy said.

"Almost, yeah. You wanna explain?" he said to Cyrus.

Ray said, "How about you go first, Frank."

So Frank filled them in on all of it. When he finished, he was met with a dozen extremely dubious faces. "You don't believe me!" he said, laughing. "You know what? Fine, don't believe me, then. I'll fucking show you."

He stood and pulled his shirt over his head, then turned around for the room. He was met with a single low whistle and some murmurs.

"You are one hairy bastard," someone remarked.

"Damn, Frank," the dancer woman said. "I'll see you later on."

Frank shook a finger at her. "I told you to behave!"

"Those are some deeply purple scales, my man," Ray said.

"They are indeed. Take a good look, okay? I don't know how fast it happens, but if we're here long enough then you'll see."

He put his shirt back on and picked up the instrument case. "Check this out," he said, pulling out his guitar.

"No fucking way!" someone exclaimed.

"Yes fucking way," Frank laughed. He pointed to Elio. "This beautiful man, he's the one. Right there. Thank him later in whatever way you see fit."

Elio basked in the glow of renewed attention, a smile in his eyes and an almost visible aura of magnetism in his mildly intoxicated body, which was stretched out on a nearby chaise.

Frank sat on the edge of the couch again. "Listen up. Earlier today I got a new ability, which is what we're talking about, right? It's called Resonance. I haven't used it yet, but basically when I play or sing, I'm supposed to make you all feel something pretty powerful. More than usual, even," he said with a wink. "It should start right away and get stronger as I play. I'll finish the song."

Tansy said. "What's the downside?"

"I don't think there is one. Just makes me feel a stronger version of my current state."

"Physical? Mental? Emotional?"

He shrugged.

"Uh huh," she said. "And what's your current state?"

Frank grinned and waggled his eyebrows. "Let's find out!"