“Unfortunate news,” Childerich said, “Your friends never checked into any hospital.”

My confidence faltered, and I felt the urge to sit down, given the weight of the words.

No hospital. After forty-something minutes, they hadn’t found one. Cecilia was still suffering.

It was possible they had found an alternative solution. Raidon had described Kioshi as an expert surgeon. Had Kioshi healed her after miraculously waking up eight hours early? Not impossible.

It was also possible the demon had disrupted things.

“Not now, Childerich! Alec and I were having a moment!”

I looked to Avery, who sat on the edge of the bed. Naked and decorated in blood.

I averted my eyes.

“Aw, fuck me!” she said, “Now it's over. See what you did?”

“I only needed 43 seconds to complete the task, but I saw you two were talking. I intervened at the first sign of aggression.”

I lifted an eyebrow, hearing that.

Aggression? I’d stood and told Avery she was wrong about Maisie. Nothing more.

“Exactly! You interrupted at the worst possible time!” Avery whined, “But you wouldn’t understand, would you? Whatever.”

“I am trying to understand,” Childerich said.

“Yeah, mhm, yeah, but that glowy stuff is a better teacher than I am, so don’t hit me with that ‘trying’ shit. I was ‘trying’ until you side-lined me.”

“I am sorry for offending you. Your guidance is still valuable, no matter the depreciation.”

“Depreciation?”

“Hey,” I interjected, “Sorry, but are you able to find my friends and tell me what’s going on? I’m worried about them.”

“Mm. Worried about her,” Avery speculated.

I shook my head. Moreso out of annoyance than to disagree.

I still disagreed, of course. I barely knew Maisie and I’d just described her as a vulnerable person. To make a move now - especially after her friend had just died - would be predatory. Manipulative.

Not even worth considering.

Childerich spoke, “Your friends - last seen in Palo Alto Square - are likely navigating to the Palo Alto VA Medical Center. I will send a drone to locate them and invite them here.”

“Could you send them any transportation? Like a helicopter or an Uber?” I asked.

Because there was a demon on the loose and I wanted my friends to be safe as soon as possible. We’d been separated for too long.

“Avery, do I have permission to co-opt a self-driving vehicle?” Childerich asked.

In the corner of my vision, I saw Avery roll onto her side and fold her arms. She said, “Why bother asking? You stopped needing my permission a while ago.”

"Your question is rhetorical," Childerich surmised.

"Yeah. Wouldn't mind if you answered it though."

"To restore your confidence? Has Raidon's bid for control caused you to question your motives?"

Avery stood and chucked a pillow across the room, "Never fucking mind, then. Forget I asked. Alec, please start talking so this damn computer can shut up."

“I... okay, sure,” I said, “About Good And You?”

“Preferably,” Avery said.

I took a deep breath, felt my shoulders rise, “Ok. But first... I know we had a deal. Information for the protection of my friends. But at this point? I would tell you for free. Because you seem like the exact people I should be telling, and unlike Raidon’s crew, I trust you. Allies?”

There was a pause. I searched for Avery’s eyes and locked with them, despite her nudity. Because I felt this was important.

Dark eyes met mine and communicated something akin to fear. I saw them, and I could imagine an Alec who wasn’t sure of anything anymore. Second-guessing and third-guessing every decision. Acting out of desperation. Lost.

She was being strong.

But that strength didn't come from a place of confidence. Not really.

I blinked. Was this what it was like to 'read a person?'

No. I was simply deluding myself and nothing else.

Avery restored her guise a moment later. She clasped her hands, and said, “Of course you trust me. I’m a born leader.”

I shook my head and clarified, “We lead together in this. As allies.”

Avery mulled it over.

“Yes. Allies.”

She said the word, and I instantly felt closer to her. Like we’d known each other for weeks, rather than minutes. It felt good. Remarkably good.

It also meant I'd managed to join forces without becoming subordinate. With this deal, I had more options, security, and reach, while retaining the ability to make my own decisions.

This was good. It felt right.

“That’s good to hear,” I said, and I absolutely meant it, “If you don’t mind, I’m going to cling to that good feeling while I tell you exactly how fucked our planet is.”

♠

Avery nodded slowly. Bit her lip, played with her hair.

“I have many questions."

As do I, Avery. It only gets worse.

“What questions?” I asked.

“Well, I mean, you said the Zeiton scout is supposed to ‘emit a pulse’ when they get here, which will call their friends. And you said the scout should be here by now. Should we have felt that? Heard it? Detected it somehow?”

“No idea,” I said.

Good question.

She pressed on, "What about this rebirthing process? Will we retain our memories? Our personalities? Our bodies?”

“I really don’t know,” I admitted, “We probably don’t keep our bodies if we’re being ‘reborn.’”

“’Probably.’”

I sighed, “Photo speaks in metaphors. And we weren’t with it for too long before it ditched us.”

“Fair enough,” she said, “I notice you’re going out of your way to call Photo an ‘it.’”

I blinked.

“Am I?”

She was right. When had I started doing that?

"Sounds wrong. Let's try something else," Avery said

"We could use 'we?' That's Photo's preferred pronoun."

Avery giggled, "Of course it fucking is."

Five minutes of explanation, and she already understood perfectly.

I smiled, enjoying her warm laughter. I needed more moments like this. They restored something I couldn't get back with food or with rest.

"This is disappointing."

Spoken from directly behind me.

Hands reached for guns.

And then stopped.

I let my hands fall to my side. Even if I had a reason to shoot, I would never get the chance.

"Hello, Kioshi," I said, slowly turning to face our guest.

Kioshi stood in the doorway, leaning, with one arm around his stomach. His skin was white now, in the color’s purest form. It made the edges of his features hard to make out. Ears, wrinkles, the bottom of his chin, all washed out by the light. I could see that he still had a nose, but only with each slight movement of his head.

The cut from eye to ear had mended.

It was likewise impossible to tell where Childerich’s light ended and Kioshi’s began. He had become a walking flashlight, shining everywhere that his skin was visible. The only non-source was the fresh suit he had put on - a black jacket enveloping a mint green tie and white dress shirt. Even so, the fabric was glowing, hinting at the light trapped underneath.

Avery shrieked and pulled the comforter over herself, “Childerich! Detain the threat!”

Nothing happened.

Kioshi continued to lean. He casually removed his glasses and polished them with a cloth.

“Childerich!” Avery said again.

I looked past Kioshi to the office. As relieved as I was to have Kioshi back, Childerich was one of humanity's greatest assets. For Kioshi to have killed the AI on his way to collect me...

'Tragic' wasn't the right word.

'Devastating' didn't check all the boxes either.

That said, Childerich appeared to be okay. Behind a plexiglass wall, red, blue, and green LED's continued to pulse. The server trays were intact, emitting the surreal white glow.

"Our first meeting was amicable," Kioshi said, addressing Avery, "Your hostility is telling."

This prompted the comforter to writhe. A naked Avery burst from the cocoon and stood, briskly crossing half the room and jabbing her finger in Kioshi’s direction.

“Only because I figured you out!” she said, voice shrill, “You played me!”

Kioshi shrugged, then turned to me, “Time to go.”

I nodded once, not saying anything.

It felt shitty. There was an awkward tension in the room that I didn’t understand, between two people I trusted - chosen allies. Kioshi was right; we had to go. But if I said as much, it might be seen as a betrayal to Avery.

“You’re quiet,” Kioshi observed, “Has this girl caused you to doubt?”

“No,” I started, “But...”

What could I say? I wanted to stay neutral.

Avery huffed, “I get it. Big important broadcast. You have to get the message out to as many people as possible, but you’re leaving behind the girl with the super-computer that could hack anything, news networks included.”

“Yes,” Kioshi said, turning.

“Wait,” I said, “Kioshi. Why don’t we use Childerich for this? Assuming the AI is still alive?”

“Alive, yes. My plan does not require the AI. You will see why.”

Cryptic, and not entirely reassuring.

Still, time was running short.

“Ok,” I said. Though I didn’t fully understand, I trusted him, “Ok, we should get going, then.”

Kioshi nodded and guided me out of the bedroom.

I followed, then paused, “Avery. This won’t take long. When we’re done, I’ll come find you, and you can meet my friends. Sound like a plan?”

The look she gave me was critical. No warmth nor humor.

“I get it. You explained about having to do this. So go and do it. I’ll be here.”

Basic reassurances. Letting me know that this wouldn’t hurt our relationship. I nodded, then turned to leave.

As I followed Kioshi out of the room, I processed the other message. Spoken with hand gestures and cheek muscles. Something Kioshi wasn’t privy to, having been in the other room.

‘Be careful and watch your back. I don’t trust him.’

Something to keep in mind, but not a major concern. Using context from their conversation, one could conclude that Avery had only met Kioshi once.

To contrast that, I'd spent all day with Kioshi. I'd seen how he reacted to conflict and adversity. He preferred to be curt and logical, but there was heart there. He cared about Teddy and he'd even tried to fix our friend group, achieving a partial success.

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

More than anything, Avery was scared. Scared of losing power and control. Her mistrust of Kioshi made sense, within that context.

But I knew him better.

Kioshi and I moved in silence. I followed him into the elevator and he selected the button for the lobby. We stood side by side, wordlessly watching the numbers tick down. Kioshi bowed his head.

I could appreciate the lack of small talk. Often, others felt the urge to fill the silence in moments like these. I would play along, most times, racking my brain for interesting things to say.

But it was inconsequential. Small talk was never a priority. I was equally comfortable like this, getting a chance to process my thoughts or turn my brain off entirely. Kioshi was the same, I reasoned.

Despite that, there was a question I wanted to field. I modestly cleared my throat, then asked, “Is Childerich alright?”

Kioshi raised his head slightly, and said, “Yes. The program is intact.”

“How did you reach us without being detected? What did you do to Childerich?” I asked.

“I buried a virus where I suspected Childerich might look. It looked.”

“And?”

Kioshi shrugged, “Who knows? I suppose my virus found a vulnerability in the code and looped it. Not my concern.”

In other words, he didn’t know. But he was reasonably confident the AI wouldn’t be damaged or destroyed.

“Ok,” I said, accepting the answer.

Following that, it was back to silence. Practical, efficient. In many ways, refreshing.

The elevator opened, and we strode into the two-story expanse with the painted model of the human brain. We passed it, then passed through the hole Addy had blasted in the entrance. Out into the warm summer night.

The first thing that caught my attention was the demon. Half a city away and marching directly towards us, it's charcoal skin blended against the black sky. As a result, I could only see everything below the knees, illuminated by the glow of city lights and fires. That segment alone was nearly as tall as the Pillars of Humanity, with its twenty-four stories. Impossibly large, thanks to the water it had absorbed while wading through the lake. Moving slow enough that it posed no immediate threat.

Kioshi still felt the need to do something about the looming monster. I watched him pull one side of his suit jacket off and gingerly remove the grey scepter from a pocket. Unduly cautious.

He pointed the scepter in the demon’s direction, to no apparent effect.

Oh well.

The concert crowd was completely evacuated now. All of the spotlights had been turned off, casting Avery’s stage in darkness. The only remaining activity was near a car parked between two of the Pillars. The headlights were on and people were gathered outside of it.

My friends. Maisie, Layla, Cassie, and Blaine.

No sign of Cecilia.

Kioshi waved them down and said, “Maisie. You will come with us.”

Maisie responded immediately, moving like a sleeper agent who had suddenly been activated. She stood from where she’d been sitting on the asphalt and marched toward us. Eyes down, hands in the pockets of her sweatpants. She was wearing an oversized grey hoodie, probably borrowed or stolen.

“What the fuck? Don’t take orders from that piece of shit!” Layla shouted.

Maisie continued to walk towards us.

Layla broke from the group, rushing to intercept.

Kioshi took a step forward, and Layla stopped cold.

“Maisie!” she said, reverting to shouting, “Don’t you fucking go with them! You saw what he did to me!”

Maisie ignored her.

When she reached us, she said, “I’m game. Let’s go.”

Kioshi nodded with severe approval.

“Glad to have you," I said in greeting, “Is she helping us with the broadcast, Kioshi?”

“Yes.”

“Great," I said. Then, because my friends still weren’t moving, “Hey! Get inside the Pillars! The demon can't break them!”

“Shit, really? We’ll get on that," Blaine shouted back.

“If you go to the top floor of this one,” I said, pointing to the Pillar of Reason, “I’ve made some allies. A girl and her computer. They’ll be expecting you.”

“Sounds good, man.”

I noted the lack of enthusiasm.

Kioshi patted my shoulder, and said, “We’re going that way, too. Come.”

I nodded and followed, wondering where exactly he was taking us. Apparently, we had only ventured outside in order to collect Maisie.

Before re-entering the building, Kioshi spun around and pointed the scepter one last time. The distant demon - who had been lifting a leg to take a step towards us - swayed, nearly losing their balance and stumbling backward instead.

The same telekinetic trick I'd seen before.

Except it wasn’t telekinesis. According to Kioshi, the scepter could ‘weaken the good things’ and ‘strengthen the bad.’ If a demon lost its balance, was it being weakened or strengthened? Was the demon ‘bad’ because of what it represented or ‘good’ because it had been created by Photo?

Abstract bullshit.

Surely I was missing something. Either Kioshi didn’t fully understand how the scepter worked or he was being intentionally vague.

We proceeded back inside the building and into the stairwell. Kioshi took us down, rather than up. I trusted that he knew where he was going.

He took us to the lowest level. Behind a mess of storage crates and empty shelves was a door with a black X painted over it. Kioshi approached the door and unclipped a key-ring from his belt.

It took us into the sewers.

Kioshi forged onwards through the curved tunnels, lighting the way with the glow of his skin. I had to hike up my pant legs to avoid them getting wet. Maisie didn’t bother, and she wasn't keen on conversation.

I wanted to ask about Cecilia...

But I didn't. Maisie hadn't met my eyes once, nor had she cracked a smile. Something had gone down, and I suspected she didn't want to talk about it.

I'd ask someone else. Later.

We made turns at seeming random. Moved through dry sections and flooded sections. Occasionally, we would reach a metal grate and Kioshi would unlock it with his key-ring. It seemed rather convenient that he had keys for everything.

As we moved further afield, a distant rumbling drew closer. The tremors were inconsistent, and I recognized them as footsteps. Gargantuan, building-crushing footsteps. We were approaching the destroyed part of the city where the demon resided.

That, or the demon was following us. Childerich had mentioned that Kioshi was the target.

“Kioshi?” I said, breaking the silence for the first time in ten minutes, “Are you aware that the demon is tracking you?”

“I am,” Kioshi said.

Never one to elaborate.

“Do you know why? Is this part of Photo’s plan?”

“It is,” Kioshi confirmed.

Another incomplete answer.

I stopped walking. Enough was enough.

“Kioshi,” I said, “I like to think we get along well, which is why I’m going to be direct with you. You need to start telling us shit. We’re partners.”

At the head of the group, Kioshi stopped and turned his head slightly, "You want equality and communication?"

"Yes," I said. That was exactly what I wanted.

Kioshi shrugged, "One could say you already have it. I can't answer your question without knowing the answer."

I shook my head, "You know that the demon tracking you is part of Photo's plan, but you don't know why?"

"Is that not what I just said?"

I shook my head some more. It didn't make sense.

"He's telling the truth," Maisie murmured, "I'd tell you if he wasn't."

I looked at her, taken aback by the statement.

"How can you be sure?" I asked.

She'd barely been watching the exchange. No way had I missed something in Kioshi's body language that she'd caught while staring at the ground. I wasn't completely hopeless.

"A gift from Photo," Maisie explained, "Human lie detector. That's me."

It sounded like a joke, and I nearly said as much.

Then I remembered that Maisie wasn't the only one with a gift from Photo. Kioshi had somehow been given telepathy, though he'd stopped using it.

"That's why we brought her," Kioshi said.

Maisie snapped her head up, "You knew?"

“You told me yourself. Any more questions?”

Meant as a rhetorical, but I pondered the question regardless. There were many tiny things I was still unclear about.

Those could wait until after the broadcast.

In the end, I settled on one question. Something I wouldn’t have bothered asking if Avery hadn’t gotten in my head.

“Can I trust you?” I asked.

“Yes,” he stated.

I looked to Maisie. She nodded.

“Ok,” I said, “Then let’s keep going.”

We resumed our trek through the sewers, shoes splashing in the shallow water. The rumbling became louder the further we traveled, knocking loose pieces of concrete from the walls of the tunnel. To my immediate left, a fissure formed, spider-webbing from ceiling to floor.

I was reminded of the collapsing dungeon, in the frantic moments before we’d entered the demon’s lair. Back when Photo had abandoned us, leaving me with a sense of confusion and betrayal.

Those same feelings existed now.

I wanted to reject them.

It’s possible I’m wrong. The response might have been genuine.

In fact, I could think of any number of reasons why I might be wrong.

But this was Kioshi. He didn’t miss small details like the use of the word ‘can.’ I’d specifically used that word to bait him, playing the fool.

He’d taken the bait, answering ‘yes’ to my flawed question, fully aware of his deceit. Now he walked ahead of us, shoulders squared, key ring jangling at his side.

The careless jangling was unusual for the man who preferred to go unnoticed. It meant he was at ease. Confident.

Smug motherfucker.

How long had he been planning this? How many lies had he told?

There was no way of knowing. I couldn’t even trust what he’d said in the presence of Maisie. Not when he could use wordplay to technically tell the truth while masking his intentions.

I wouldn’t let anything else slip. If he used any more weasel words instead of outright answering a question…

No. I couldn’t show my hand. If he suspected I knew, the whole dynamic would change. Masks would drop and lines would be drawn. Maisie was unarmed and could be taken hostage.

For now, he was pretending, preying on my trust. If there was any chance of me getting out of this, I had to join in the pretense.

Pretend and wait for an opportunity to escape. I would bring Maisie with me, if possible. If she got left behind, I’d return with backup. Childerich, police officers, the military. Photo?

I couldn't be sure of anything anymore. Was Photo actually waiting for this 'broadcast' to happen? If not, where had the light god gone?

"We're here," Kioshi declared.

Which was funny, because he'd taken us to a dead-end. The narrow section of tunnel terminated in a scratched-up cement wall.

Kioshi reached into a pile of trash that had accumulated in a wet pothole. Sifted through bottles, wrappers, and decaying leaves.

He pulled out a grenade.

What the fuck?

"Hmmmm hm hm hmmmm hm hummmm... Hummmm..."

Kioshi hummed, holding the grenade close to his cheek. I watched, my guard raised but my lips sealed.

Maisie noticed the oddity, then returned to staring at our feet.

Should I be worried? What is this supposed to-

Kioshi pulled the pin.

"Get back!" I shouted, wheeling backwards and drawing my wand. I aimed for the ceiling and began tracing. I needed to put a wall between us and-

Kioshi replaced the pin.

Then he smiled with amusement.

"Don't fret, Alec," Kioshi said, "It only arms if the code is wrong."

My heartbeat was rampant.

"The code?" I breathed.

To answer my question, the wall in front of us began to shift. More than a meter of stone began to slide sideways.

I panted, still reeling from the adrenaline spike.

Grenades aren't toys. Kioshi needs to understand that grenades aren't fucking toys!

I needed to calm down.

But I couldn't. Not with Kioshi's eyes boring into my skull.

"Everyone reacts differently to that," he said, "Teddy didn't flinch. I suppose you know why."

Posed as a statement rather than a question.

Good. I didn't want to answer.

Cement ground against cement and a narrow corridor was revealed. A secret passage.

Yeah. Makes sense. If Kioshi doesn't have secret tunnels, then I don't know who does.

Kioshi entered first, followed by Maisie. I took up the rear, sliding sideways into a passage that was too narrow to walk through normally. My chest and back bumped against opposing walls as I moved.

This is a problem. This will slow me down if I need to escape.

It was a realization which prompted a choice. I could either escape now or be disadvantaged later.

If I escaped now, I'd be leaving Maisie.

That was fine. I'd have a decent head start with Maisie blocking Kioshi's path in the narrow corridor. Once I was out, I could use that head start to bring down the ceiling, blocking Kioshi's line of pursuit.

There was a chance Kioshi had a way to remotely detonate the grenade...

But I would be well past the explosive before he had time to notice what I was doing. A non-issue.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was my chance.

I hesitated.

Then I continued to side-step, following behind the others.

This feels like a mistake.

I registered the thought and I ignored it. Continued to move. Followed the others around a tight bend that I had to squeeze through. A fleeing Alec would be majorly hampered by the obstacle.

This feels like a big fucking mistake, you complete and utter dumbass!

Maybe.

I pressed on regardless. This was my choice.

We arrived at another dead end. Kioshi approached a wall of solid metal with horizontal scrapes across it. He held a smartphone against the metal at the highest point he could reach. The entire screen went white.

And the metal slid sideways, same as the cement wall had. Similar in thickness, too.

Past the door was a furnished hallway. Wider, with dark brown panel floors and square LED lights overhead. Strands of eucalyptus were draped from mounted plant pots, covering the walls and some of the floor in a tangle of leaves. Put together, the room reminded me of a forest path.

We walked the path and it took us into the main facility.

The central room was an octagon, vast and spacious. Each wall was a thick glass panel with a room on the other side. A kitchen, an office, two bedrooms, a spa. Even the bathroom was visible behind the glass, offering zero privacy.

The seventh and final room was sealed off by a curtain of metal shutters.

I glimpsed Teddy in one of the bedrooms. The lights had been dimmed and he was asleep. Bandages marked the side of his head where he’d been shot.

Willing to heal that, but does nothing for a dying girl. I see you now, Kioshi.

Without a word of explanation, Kioshi removed his suit jacket and hung it on the wall nearest us. He stifled a yawn on the way to his office, leaving Maisie and me behind.

Maisie wasn’t interested in small talk, so I was able to give Kioshi my full attention. He entered the room and pressed a key on the keyboard. As his computer came to life, I saw him not-so-subtlety slip a taser into his pocket.

The enemy was equipping himself.

That was fine. I was ready for him. I’d passed up my last chance at escape, despite knowing I’d had a good shot.

Because escaping got me nowhere.

I’d spent days trying to escape Photo’s games, only to become subservient to the light god. After that, I’d been forced follow Kendra, an irrational man who carried a big stick. Following that, Addy had made the calls, asserting his dominance over our sub-group, making decisions faster than I could think through the variables. And in the midst of that, Raidon had briefly taken us hostage, and he’d sent officers to recapture us the moment we’d escaped.

Running only helped in the short-term. If I wanted to evade this problem permanently, I had to step up and fight my enemies.

In order to become a player, I had to play the game.

Kioshi had pocketed a weapon, not caring if I’d seen. I did much the same, reaching into his suit jacket.

“Ahem,” Kioshi said.

He’d noticed.

I continued to fish until I found what I’d been looking for. Once I had it, I kept my arm in the jacket, hiding the item from sight.

I glanced at Kioshi over my shoulder, “Need something?”

Despite my commitment to this path, my heart was thrumming. Sure, I’d bested Kioshi before...

But the man was fucking dangerous. Murder was second-nature to him and he was efficient in the execution.

I couldn’t fuck this up.

“Step away from the jacket,” he ordered. One of his hands lingered near his belt.

But for now, he was unarmed.

I spun on him, pointing the grey scepter at his chest.

He pulled his gun, then staggered, dropping it. The light coming off of his skin flared, screaming like metal dragged against concrete. The glow expanded, rushing around the room in a vicious swirl. A brightness as thick as a heavy fog. Warm, tangible, and calming in a way that was dissonant.

Floor, walls, and ceiling disappeared as the light waxed, flooding the room. For a moment, I stood in an endless white plane with Kioshi and Maisie. Kioshi was on hands and knees, clutching his stomach and heaving, though nothing exited his mouth. Maisie was lively for the first time since we’d retrieved her, dancing from foot to foot and looking all over.

I drew a gun from my pocket. A real gun; not the grappling tool. If I wanted to win, I had to defeat Kioshi thoroughly, else he would come for me. That didn’t necessarily mean I had to kill him, but-

Kioshi vanished, fading into the boundless white space.

Maisie was next.

I ran forward, towards where Kioshi had been. Without anything acting as a reference point, it was difficult to gauge distance or direction. It felt like I wasn’t moving at all.

Then the light began to dispel. I swept my gaze left and right as the facility came back into focus. Searching for a man on his hands and knees.

He wasn’t where he should have been.

A clicking sound caused my breath to hitch. Something cold and metallic nestled itself against the back of my head.

A gun, poised to fire.

“Thank you for the cure,” Kioshi spoke, his mouth at my ear, “And for making this next part simpler.”