Apparently, when Luna calls you in for a mission, you answer and accept that mission. Whether or not two universe-jumping refugees fall under those same rules is another story.

Around seven in the morning, a knock on the door to our room woke us up. It was Dwight on the other side, telling us that the "head honcho wanted us pronto," or something to that effect. For being a former police chief, he seemed to be a corny guy.

So, the two of us scrambled into clean clothes, straightened our hair, and started our way to the same meeting room we'd met the resistance leader in some days ago.

"Do you think it'd be weird to collect a memento from each universe we go to?" Holly asks.

What?

"I don't know. In our own universe, we got Aurora. On Alpha Centauri, the ring. Hopefully, this is the last time we have to do this, but I sort of want to bring something back from this universe, too. Do you think we get to keep our powers when we go back?"

I don't know.

"I'll have to have a backup plan, then."

We approach the meeting room door, which opens immediately for us. Inside are Luna, Dwight, and Sapphire, as well as some of the other top brass, I assume. They're all staring as we walk in, varying stages of patience on their face.

"Nice of you to join us this late," Luna says, vividly the least patient of the group. "We finally have a solid plan for how to use the two of you and make our contract worth it on both ends."

"Awesome, let's hear it."

Holly and I sit down at the two remaining seats, and Luna begins her presentation.

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"I'm a very straight-to-the-point person, unless I'm stalling for a reason, so here's the plan: we use your Necromancer aura to parade the two of you around in the Necromancer base and gather high-brow intelligence for us. Literally nobody would expect a mole working for us. You would be completely safe, and Dwight will be nearby, ready if things go south."

"What?" Holly says, incredulous. "Why would we ever want to do that?"

"Two reasons: it's completely safe, and you'd be saving most of the population of Carmsborough from doom at some point."

"How on earth is that safe?"

"I hate repeating myself."

"I think what Luna is trying to say here," Dwight interjects, hoping to ease some tension, "is that the two of you are in a precious situation where you don't have pre-established loyalties, can pass as Necromancers, have a chance to do some real good with relatively low risk, and need a way to get to your home universe. We think doing this will solve all of that."

"Can we discuss it together?"

Luna looks at her watch. "You have five minutes."

Holly and I leave the room and turn to each other in the hallway.

What do you think? she asks.

Not exactly excited by the idea.

Feels like they're dangling our deal over our head on this one.

Doesn't seem like much of a choice.

These are the good guys, right?

I sure hope so.

Okay, then let's do this.

We walk back in together, and Holly and I give a thumbs up.

"Perfect. Moving out in twenty with Ike."

Twenty came, and we were on our way to the Necromancer base. This one was apparently in a mausoleum somewhere near Maxima Park. About a mile out, Dwight told us to play it cool and play it safe, and vanished in some bushes. We pressed forward until a duo of actual Necromancers appeared before us.

"Who are you?"

"Hey," Holly says. "We are Necromancers from America. I'm Holly, and this is Tes. She's mute."

Hello.

"Prove it."

I think of creating a materia staircase to the top of the mausoleum, which generates right before our very eyes.

The man, although apparently convinced, isn't impressed. "I'm so glad that's sixty percent of all the Necromancers, and not anything cooler. Come on in newbies."

He gestures to let us inside, which we accept without turning back. A staircase is inside, leading down to a torch-lit room on the bottom.

Déjà vu.

We descend into the Necromancer headquarters. I can feel my nerves spiking. I hope Holly's holding it together.