“Abilities. What can the demon do?” I asked Addy.

“Well you already know about the heat vision and his appetite for fuel,” Addy started.

“Appetite for fuel?” Brad asked.

Right. They hadn’t been present for the explanation. For the clarification of just how much I’d fucked up.

“Consuming sources of fuel makes him grow. Coal, oil, the works,” Addy re-hashed, “His signature move is what he’s named after. ‘Income tax.’ Hurting him will always do a fraction of the damage back to the attacker. Eye for an eye. The more wealthy the attacker, the larger that fraction is.”

“So you get punished if you have more money? How is that fair?” Brad asked.

Addy and Teddy cracked up, hearing that. I rolled my eyes.

“Last thing,” Addy said, “He can lash out with his horns. They can extend and bend, so we shouldn’t fly too close.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Kendra remarked, “Cuz I’m not flying us anywhere near that thing.”

“Anywhere near as in...”

“As in we’re not rescuing your buddy. Cecilia needs a hospital, sun is setting, and we can’t navigate in the dark.”

“We’ll still be able to see,” I said, “Moo-,”

“Moonlight,” Addy hurriedly said, cutting me off, “Sorry. My word.”

“Moonlight. Great,” Kendra said, “I’m still not rescuing him. You guys told me that you serve an evil god. You’re lucky I don’t feed you to the demon myself.”

“Why don’t you? Unstrap us, I mean? Flip this ship upside down and let us plummet to our deaths?” Addy asked. Challenging Kendra. Gambling that he was all talk and no bite.

Quite possibly the dumbest thing he could have said.

"I should," Kendra said, "But you are friends of Maisie, and Maisie helped look after my girls when they needed it. I would never betray that kindness."

“I... you’re... thank you...,” Maisie said, sounding dispassionate.

“If I may,” Teddy said, “Have I not shown you kindness? Kioshi is a dear friend. I ask that you reconsider saving him.”

Kendra sighed, and said, “My apologies for forgetting. I do owe you if you’re covering Cecilia’s medical bills. Hm. Ok. I’ll save the poor sap.”

“Thank you, Kendra. You are an honorable man.”

“Hurry,” Kioshi said. He was still on the call, the sounds of his engine groaning through the cell phone speaker.

Kendra brought us low to the ground, just above the brush of the desert. We glided towards the police car at an angle.

The demon snapped his head towards us. My skin crawled with the trepidation of being directly next to a campfire. Only, the campfire was all around me and my skin was just skin, disconnected from the rest of my body. I felt it stretching over my body, clinging to bone and muscle, being gently singed by the demon’s gaze. Then, my focus split, and I felt the encroaching headache.

“Heat vision! Heat vision!” Addy shouted.

Kendra veered away from the highway, back into the sunset-lit desert.

“I need stone,” he said, pulling close to a dirt hill and coming to a brief stop. The side of the hill had been hewn away by erosion, revealing the underlying layers.

The glass walls of the ship came down. Blaine and I carved at the layers of rock with our wands. Kendra kneeled at the edge of the ship, absorbing the material into the game stone.

Then we were off, drifting once more towards the demon and the police car.

Stone walls sprouted in the back of the ship, as well as a stone ceiling which covered half of the craft. Similar to the torn-up billboard shielding the back of Kioshi’s car. Dense materials to reflect the heat.

Kendra sped ahead of the car, then fell back so we were flying parallel to the driver's side. Kioshi was ready for us, crouched on the seat, hand on the wheel, ready to spring. Neither of his feet were on the gas.

Kioshi pushed on the door, but it didn’t budge. He shoved again, and Japanese swears erupted from the cell phone.

It was no use. The heat had warped the metal of the car, making the door impossible to open.

The tromping of the demon’s footsteps wasn’t far behind us. I didn’t know how far, because the back half of the airship no longer had windows. I looked back and saw Blaine and Brad sitting in the back row, shaded by the stone roof. Blaine’s smile was the only transparent thing remaining.

“Break the window!” Addy shouted into the phone.

“Glass is hot. Won’t shatter,” Kioshi replied.

“Fuck!”

Fuck indeed. How were we supposed to get him out? Fly above and latch on with the grappling guns? Absorb the car into the game stone? Blow a hole in the door with Addy’s boomsticks?

Hole in the door. That’s all we needed. I drew out my carving wand-

“Guess it’s time for my boomsticks!” Addy announced, revealing a black box and clicking the dispenser. Two black twigs fell into his hand.

“Wait! Better plan!” I shouted, waving my wand frantically so he could see it.

Addy made a face and sighed.

“Fine. Do it the boring way.”

I leveled my wand and began tracing. When the outline became red, the driver’s side door and the surrounding chunk of car fell away, skidding along the highway. Less than a second later, a metallic squelch sounded. The demon wasn’t far behind.

Kioshi did a small hop, landing with grace on the edge of our ship. The police car veered away, off the road and into the desert, still accelerating. I watched it go, noting what was printed on the billboard. The words 'to Tel Aviv' and half of a woman's smiling face. An intoxicating smile. I was reminded of Maisie.

I missed seeing her smile.

Addy mumbled a bitter sentiment and tossed the boomsticks off the side of the ship. I heard them explode a moment later, somewhere behind us.

Kendra did whatever was required to speed up, and we started putting distance between us and the demon.

As we drew further away, people assumed more comfortable positions in their chairs. Relaxing. A few held breaths were released.

My thoughts slowed and I allowed my brain to take a break.

We had done it. We had Kioshi. I could relax.

I desperately needed to. One thing I hated about conflict was the jumble of observations. There were too many things to take in. Too many 'what-if's' and 'what now's' to consider, all seasoned with a hearty helping of emotions.

Kioshi wobbled, grabbing the backs of chairs for support. I turned to look.

Kioshi wasn't in good health. Sunburnt all over. Otherwise burned. Despite this, his face was a sickly pale and littered with sweat droplets. A fresh scar cut from the corner of his left eye to the back of his head.

"Destination?" he asked, claiming the empty seat behind me.

"Palo Alto," Teddy answered, "We're getting treatment for you and Cecilia."

"You know I would never accept such an offer," Kioshi said.

"I know."

"Good."

"What happened to you? Did the demon do that?"

"Yes," was all the response Kioshi gave.

"You left," I said, turning to face him, "Where did you go?"

He met my eyes, and I felt the overwhelming need to look away. Blood and other fluids were dripping from his eye socket

"Photo asked that I protect this from the Zeiton," Kioshi said. He drew the short gray scepter from his pocket, topped with the octagonal prism, coated in the strange plastic. He had used it to perform minor telekinesis, ripping Blaine's jungle shelter apart from a distance.

"You had that on the island," I observed, "Before any of us met Photo."

"Yes."

"But you're saying Photo gave it to you after you left the dungeon."

"We have talked of the scepter. Recall what I said?"

"Doubt is healthy, betraying you is not," I recited.

"Your memory is good, but you forget," Kioshi said, "I stole the scepter from Good And You. From Photo."

"And now you're charged with protecting it," I finished.

"Yes."

"What does it do?" Brad chimed in.

Kioshi maintained eye contact with me while he spoke. Reading me, dissecting me. Gauging my reactions. It gave me chills.

"It weakens the good things. Strengthens the bad."

"That's pretty vague," I said, still skeptical. Damn, did I ever want to look away from those cold, bleeding eyes.

"It is an abstract artifact. Vague is its nature."

That bothered me. An object whose rules were based in abstract concepts? Based in something as subjective as morality? It flew in the face of all of science.

But it somehow fit with what I'd seen him do. 'Weakening' Blaine's sticks and causing them to topple.

"Ok," I said, moving on, "What about Photo? Did it say what the rest of the plan is?"

"Yes. They will return to Earth when it is time to broadcast. Until then, they distract our enemies. We," Kioshi said, addressing only me, "will handle the broadcast, per Photo's instructions. We must find a means."

"A means to broadcast. So Photo can 'rebirth' all humans into 'Spirits,'" I said, half guessing, half clarifying.

"Precisely."

"So that's what your evil god wants, heh? To wipe out our race?" Kendra surmised, an edge to his voice.

"Rebirth," I explained, "Turning us all into gods."

"And killing them in the process. Right."

"Not right. The exact opposite of right. We'll become immortals."

"Mm. You said Spirits. Spirits are immortal. They're also dead."

All said in a condescending tone.

Fuck Kendra.

"You use the term ‘evil god’ without having context,” Kioshi said, “Why?”

“I’ve got plenty of context, fella,” Kendra said, “For one thing, this ‘Photo’ created that demon.”

“Ah. You look at the god’s deeds and you apply the label of ‘evil.’”

“You can’t be good if what you do is evil.”

“Quite,” Kioshi agreed, “Are you a good person, then?”

Kendra opened his mouth, then faltered. Then he said, “I serve a righteous god, and I acted on their behalf. All the bad things Jakob did? They came due. I’m merely the hand that made the fist.”

We were flying blind now. Kendra had turned in his seat to meet Kioshi’s macabre gaze.

“All murderers have a reason,” Kioshi said, “Few believe the lies they tell themselves. I can see that you have regret.”

I saw Kendra’s defenses cracking, and I wanted to applaud. None of us had been able to stand up to this monster. Even our best fighter was too injured to be a contender.

Kioshi was brutal with words. Like pulling threads, he was methodically unraveling his opponent. Bringing down their defenses. Throwing verbal punches.

Giving Kendra his comeuppance.

“You seem to know a lot about murder,” Kendra intuited.

“I’ve made a habit of committing evil. I’ve made a career. I kill and I’m honest with myself. I do not disrespect the dead by excusing what I’ve done.”

Kendra bore all of his teeth. Seething.

Then, lamely, he said, “Yeah? Well good for you.”

He turned around in his chair, facing forward. Adjusted how he was sitting. Adjusted again. Then, unable to get comfortable, he stood and tossed the game stone to Addy.

“You fly,” he commanded.

He walked to the back of the ship and plopped down, dangling his legs over the edge.

Maisie took her hands off of Cassie’s ears and let her go. The little girl trotted to where Kendra was sitting and threw her arms around his neck in a hug.

Kendra shook his head and asked her to leave. Cassie returned to Maisie, wearing a cartoonish frown.

I watched Kendra’s shoulders deflate, his body bristle. He was in the grips of a storm of emotions. Then, I looked away, giving him his privacy.

Damn.

The sun finished setting and Addy flew us into the night. We coasted over brown steeps and craggy hills. No one spoke and the Earth was silent below us. Wind buffeted the glass walls which surrounded us on three sides. An empty night filled with white noise.

Addy hummed to himself as we flew, and I tried to guess the songs.

Hay Dee-Dee.

Skip to My Lou.

Skip to My Lou, again.

Something else I couldn't place.

The others kept to themselves. Blaine looked annoyed by the constant humming. Maisie and Cassie whispered.

The moon began to rise, and the red glass twinkled in the pale light. I gazed up at it and wondered at the things Photo had said.

Darkness was the enemy and Photo was a being of light. It was in their nature to be opposed. Each canceled the other.

What did that make the moon? Part darkness, part light. Present during the night, but shining all the same. Was there conflict there? Battles wherever the two forces met?

The moon was waning. Only a sliver of white shone down on us.

Not a great omen, but I maintained hope that we would figure things out. Humanity was versatile. Even without Photo, I preferred to think that we stood a chance.

I eventually asked Addy to pass me the phone, and he did so, but not without comment.

"Careful. That thing's a gold mine. I took a peek and its loaded with fucked up shit."

"What do you mean?" I asked, taking the stolen device.

"Just read some of the conversations. Jakob was leading multiple lives. 'Going back to school,' 'joining the navy,' engaged, single, wants kids, refuses to ever have kids. Pretty sure he has at least three girlfriends. It honestly reminds me of you, Blaine."

In the back of the craft, Blaine pretended not to hear.

"I'll pass," I said, unlocking the phone and minimizing the messaging app.

"Your loss."

The first things I checked were the date and time.

Thursday, May 30, 2019 – 9:42 PM

So it was Thursday. I hadn’t checked since the business simulation, and that had been on Tuesday. And it still felt like Tuesday, given the amount of time that had passed. Somewhere along the way, I’d lost two days.

I'd process that later. Next, I tapped the call screen and dialed my parent's home phone. It was late, and they were three hours ahead of me, but-

I stopped myself. Second-guessed myself. Wasn't sure what to do.

I'm dead. Died in a car explosion three days ago. If I call, they'll want an explanation. They'll want to see me. I can't go home. They can't come here. I'm busy.

I could tell them not to come, but they wouldn't listen. They were stubborn, same as me. Apples and trees.

I still really wanted to talk to them. Something as simple as checking the date had nearly brought a tear to my eye. Had helped to ground me after being uprooted and tossed around like a fucking hacky-sack.

Alternatively, I could refuse to tell them my location. Or lie.

It wouldn't be worth it. We were nearly to Palo Alto, according to the map. I wasn't even sure I'd have sufficient time for an explanation. I needed to be stable for what came next. Kioshi and I had to broadcast news of the imminent Zeiton attack. To the entire world if we could manage it. The pressure was on, and something as emotionally charged as telling my family I wasn't dead would wipe that stability out.

I closed the dial screen, opened an internet browser. Closed it.

“Anyone?” I asked, holding out the phone.

Blaine rushed to the front of the ship and snatched it, saying, “Mine.”

“Read the messages,” Addy said over his shoulder.

“I’ll definitely not,” Blaine responded, returning to his seat.

As much as I craved information, I had given up my best research tool. Because...

Because I doubted I would learn much, to be honest. If Photo was operating elsewhere in the world, it would be handled discreetly. Whatever dominos they were setting up would be done so in the shadows. As far as the internet was concerned, alien gods didn’t exist and the world was relatively safe.

And besides, I was really enjoying the fucking break. This was more than a small moment to catch my breath. This was an hour of real relaxation. No pressing situation, no intricate planning. Just the wind and the warm summer night.

We left the mountains and the patches of green behind. A grid of buildings and street lamps stretched out below us. A black and gray mass, dotted in white and gold points of light. Not the first city we’d flown over, but they were getting denser. Larger in scale.

We left it behind a moment later, the rush of air howling our progress.

At some point, I idly turned to survey the others.

Seeing Kioshi almost caused me to jump.

His skin had an ethereal paleness to it. Intangible in the sense that it would occasionally wrinkle from the wind. Semi-transparent, allowing me to see the hidden muscle and veins more clearly. Luminescent, like a full-body flashlight with five minutes of battery left.

He saw me notice, saw my look of worry, and shrugged. It wasn't bothering him, whatever it was.

Addy resumed his humming. Maisie whispered in Cecilia's ear, though I was sure the girl was unconscious. The noise of helicopter rotors was distant, and I watched two aircrafts fly in the opposite direction. News choppers, likely on their way to the demon.

They probably wouldn't get close enough for the demon to strike with its horns.

At least I hoped.

We approached an expansive body of water. The sliver of moonlight fell across the modest waves, showing the deep blue color that I might have otherwise missed.

"Where are we landing, Teddy?" Addy asked.

Landing? I looked ahead, past the water.

And I saw them. Four black pillars standing firm in the center of the city. Towering above the urban sprawl.

I had never seen them at night. Purple spotlights outlined their edges, shining up from the city floor. Here and there, I could see lights in the windows. Silhouettes of bodies moving through the building. Flickers of life. The Pillars of Humanity were still alive, operating as a beacon for our species.

"There. Parking lot," Kioshi said, pointing to a bustling movie theater.

"But the hospital is-," Teddy started.

Kioshi grunted and pointed to a spot to our right.

A helicopter was rising from out of the city, pivoting to face us. When I looked in that direction, I saw the clamor of flashing red and blue lights.

Right. We were piloting the same magical airship that had left a dead body behind.

Addy brought the airship down. In the back of the craft, Kendra stood, advanced towards Maisie, and gave her a pat on the back. Then claimed his sister from her lap.

Good to see him playing nice, at least.

We "parked" in a few empty spaces toward the back of the lot. Everyone hurriedly stepped off of the floating platform, wary of the ambient police sirens.

I took an extra second in stepping off, recognizing its significance. Finally, I was stepping back into the real world. Into civilization.

It wouldn’t be the same. Cosmic entities were using my homeworld as a battleground. An unbeatable demon was rampaging through western America. My worldview had been distorted. Expanded.

Still, I was back.

Night was in full effect here. The city light dimmed our view of the stars, turning it to a black void. Black asphalt lay below our feet, visible in all directions. Fancy street lamps illuminated our corner of the lot, wrapped in twinkling corded lights.

Across the lot, half a dozen movie-goers pulled out their cell phones. Their loud conversational tones overlapped with the grand jazz music playing throughout the area. I turned my face away from them, hiding it, but it was no use. In all directions, people were gathering to see the unidentified flying object which had landed in their city.

Addy reabsorbed the glass, then kicked over a flimsy parking-lot tree. The trunk broke off after two more stomps, and he absorbed the material into the game stone.

I helped him with the next two, discreetly using my wand from beneath my shirt. I was conscious of the onlookers venturing closer. Gaining courage or seeking a better angle for their recordings.

One of them shouted, "Hey! Its Daddy Lax!"

"I prefer Teddy, thank you," Teddy said, greeting the man with a smile.

"That's not how this works, businessman. It's time to be a daddy now. Do you think you can manage that?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Fuck off," Addy said kicking over another tree before I could get to it, "Only I get to call him Daddy."

Kioshi advanced towards the intruding man and then stopped, clutching his chest.

It was still enough to get the man to back off. Kioshi was becoming more ghostly in appearance and was naturally intimidating.

With enough matter stored, Addy summoned a medical stretcher from the stone. Thick plant fiber reinforced with smooth wooden poles. We rolled the sleeping Cecilia onto the device, and Kendra and Layla lifted it from the ground.

Addy pointed to each of us, and said, “Kendra, Teddy, Maisie, and Layla - take the girls to the hospital. The rest of us will help Kioshi.”

“No. Just Alec. Photo’s instructions,” Kioshi burbled. His voice sounded distinctly wet.

“You’re lying,” Maisie said, “Besides, the more help, the better.”

“I do not lie, and I am a dangerous man to accuse,” Kioshi warned her.

Maisie took no fewer than five steps away from him, and said, “You can’t just threaten me after we freaking saved you. A-and I- I know that you’re lying. I can feel it somehow. I’m sorry, just... tell the truth so we can all help each other better. Please.”

Kioshi shook his head and started walking towards her. Maisie matched his pace, taking steps back. My hand went to my wand-

Kioshi stopped suddenly, doubling over. Black bile spilled from his mouth.

In that same moment, another man burst from the loose circle of spectators. An oriental man sporting a black suit and an electric yellow ascot.

Kioshi heard him coming but was slowed by another wave of nausea. Before he could react, two thin wires spooled from a taser, finding purchase on the side of his neck. His arms locked up, and he fell sideways onto hard asphalt.

I brought out my wand, aiming it at the attacker, then quickly switched to aim at another man emerging from the crowd. Another Asian man, sporting a baby blue ascot.

“Drop your weapons,” someone said. I turned and saw a third man. Red ascot. A gun was leveled at Brad’s head.

Fuck. What do I do? Can I bluff?

Addy made a strangled sound, then let the boomstick dispenser fall from his hand. My heart sank. If he was giving up...

I took Addy’s lead, letting the wand clatter to the ground.

Fuck. No...

Blaine was the only other person with gear. A wand and a glove which repelled things.

Neither were equipped. Instead, he held the cell-phone.

“You have my apologies, Kioshi,” Yellow Ascot spoke, “My client has business with yours. We’re here to collect him.”

“No deal,” Kioshi said, arms twitching, taser still buzzing

Yellow Ascot advanced, pulled a syringe from his pocket, and jammed it into Kioshi’s neck. Kioshi tried to swing at him, but Yellow Ascot was already out of reach.

“We’ll return him when we’re done. Shouldn’t be long,” Yellow Ascot stated.

The other two grabbed the ‘client’ and began coaxing him away from our group. Kioshi lurched forward, failing to stand, fumbling with his pockets. His motions were slowed and soupy.

“Raidon...,” he murmured, his jaw going slack.

He slumped to the side. I caught him before his face met the pavement. Addy and Brad rushed forward and helped me lay him on his back.

Kioshi spoke one final word before closing his eyes. To me. A warning.

“Don’t.”

‘Don’t let them get away with Teddy.’

I nodded gravely, accepting the mission.

Addy saw me nodding and beamed with conviction. Instead of nodding, he used words.

“Don’t worry, Kioshi, we’ll get him back. They don’t understand who they’re fucking up against.”