“This is humiliating.” Aleks whined.

“You said you wanted to leave. This was the only way that didn’t involve a stretcher.” Katya said from behind the wheelchair.

“Well, it’s better than staying and waking up like that again.” Aleks said shivering.

“Bad experience with hospitals?” Katya asked.

“No. Not fond of things that go underneath my skin though, seen enough of that for a couple of lifetimes.” Aleks clarified.

“Well, I don’t mind wheeling you out of here, but how do you expect to get around when you get home?” Katya questioned.

“I’ll be fine as long as I get rid of the strain, can’t believe that overgrown snake did something like this.” Aleks muttered angrily, although Katya could feel a sense of grief in the harsh words.

“I presume you’re referring to The Idiot,” Katya asked softly, Aleks going quiet for a moment.

“Custodes weren’t the only ones who sacrificed themselves to protect her.” Aleks replied, his voice mournful.

“What was his name?” Katya asked.

“Nidhoggr, he’s been with me... For a very long time.” Aleks explained.

“He was the one who removed the roadblocks?” Katya asked. Aleks let out a bitter laugh.

“Yeah, that’s him. He’s also the reason I’m sitting in this chair and almost died. Something like that can’t exist in this world, at least not yet... Reality won’t allow it.” Aleks explained, staring into the distance, his eyes unfocused.

“He’d outgrown his original world when I found him, surrounded by lower energy worlds stranding him to die exactly like this, eventually... I guess he considered this finally facing his fate.” Aleks continued reminiscently.

“Hopefully he’ll go to a better place now.” Katya tried to comfort, but only felt the pain increase before her.

“No. Not from a death like that.” Aleks responded, his voice hoarse and small.

***

“What happened after I passed out?” I asked Katya as we drove towards my territory.

My shadows telling me stories of the happenings around the valley, but they were disjointed and without important detail, like those of a child who did not yet know what was of importance.

“Chaos... people fled in every direction they could. Some stayed behind staying in the lower valley, but they are a small minority. People expect a retaliation from the council and they don’t want to be associated with us in any way when that happens.” Katya told.

“A retaliation from the council? How the fuck does that make sense?” Aleks asked angrily.

“Mavis was the protegee of a council member, that’s how she managed to get an invitation. She was set to inherit their seat, but that’s just an excuse. They haven’t even sent about her status or release. They need the justification after all.” Katya explained with simmering anger.

“Any idea how they’ll hit us?” I asked, considering what my next step should be.

“Hard. But not in person. They’ll get someone else to do their dirty work, but it’ll be sanctioned. The accords will become mere suggestions to whoever they send.” Katya replied.

A natural moment of quiet fell over the car, but it was broken when Silas lowered the partition to the driver’s cabin.

“Ma’am, you should turn on the TV.” Silas said worriedly, one hand held to his ear.

“What channel?” Katya asked, picking up the remote.

“Any.” Silas replied gravely.

The screen flickered on and revealed a reporter wearing blue combat gear with a patch saying Press across his chest.

“We have yet to receive any information regarding the situation inside the quarantined area, but heavy fighting can be heard even here, miles from the epicenter.” The audio cut out as the report dropped out of view and the camera fell to the ground. The wasteland of rubble behind them was still partially in view as plumes of fire rose to the sky.

The camera was picked up and aimed at the reporter crouched behind some debris.

“The airforce have just commenced bombing of an area inside the restricted zone, we don’t yet know-” Yelling could be heard off screen and the reporter turned. Then a hand wearing a combat glove covered the lense, the word Restricted area cutting through before the connection dropped and the image returned to the news studio.

“That... Um that was Kevin Stevenson from the field-” The news anchor paused for a moment and squinted as if reading something in the distance “This just in, the previously twenty mile restricted zone has been expanded to cover almost a hundred miles of outer Seattle, resident evacuations are still underway, military spokesmen advise against entering the zone for your own safety.” Katya muted the TV.

“Ms. Winters was stationed out of Seattle.” Katya stated, shocked.

“I don’t get how this is happening. The ambient energy isn’t anywhere near the point of being able to facilitate a rift. Should be possible for at least another year at the rate we’re going.” I muttered.

“What is this, rift?” Katya asked, her eyes still locked to the screen as it started showing aerial views of large concrete barriers being moved into place, closing off the area.

“It’s just as it sounds, a hole poked through reality. But it should have taken weeks for it to consume enough native energy to stabilize even in an optimal environment with ambient energy several times higher than ours.” I said.

“Ma’am, several of the attendees from last night’s gala have requested a meeting with you.” Silas informed Katya.

“Which one is closest?” Katya asked.

“No, Ma’am, they’ve requested it as a group.” Silas clarified.

“That’s new.” Katya muttered. “We’ll head to the lower valley after dropping Aleks off.” Katya responded.

“The hell you are.” I objected vehemently.

“Aleks, you can barely lift your arms, not to mention walk on your own. Maybe now isn’t the time to go parading in front of potential adversaries?” Katya stated.

“If they need another demonstration of exactly why not to fuck with us, I’ll gladly force it down their throats and watch them choke on it.” I seethed.

“In a hospital gown?” Katya questioned.

“Naked if need be.” I said, not backing down.

“That shouldn’t be necessary.” Katya sighed. “Silas, we’ll need to stop by Almino’s before heading to the meeting.”

***

This was officially a shitshow.

Naomi had been getting calls from increasingly higher ranked individuals all day. She had yet to sleep, subsisting on high caffeine drinks until the twitches simply became part of her natural movements.

It all started once she got back to her hotel room early this morning and typed up her report, she’d barely laid down to get some shuteye before returning to her post when her cover-phone, personal phone and emergency line all rang at the same time.

From there she was pelted with questions she had no answers to;

What was the massive energy spike in the vicinity of the Valley?

Could she expand on Mr. Titanos’s reaction to learning about the anomaly?

Did he mention anything else about the anomaly?

It didn’t stop; she was asked the same questions worded differently until she was put on a secure line with the secretary of defense.

Then she finally got some answers of her own.

The facility she was stationed at had been leveled, along with thirty miles of city in all directions.

With her superiors presumed killed in action, she was immediately promoted to acting Deputy Director of Field Intelligence and given a new assignment and a nearly limitless budget.

Which leads to why she bought out one of the most expensive restaurants in the lower valley and bribed, threatened or tricked any remaining faction she could get into contact with into coming here.

All in the hopes of using them as leverage to wheel in someone bigger.

What she hadn’t expected was that someone would literally be wheeled in.

Being rolled through the door in a wheelchair by Katya’s right-hand man, sat Mr. Titanos looking extremely unhappy.

The Matriarch of the Eve Clan following right behind them.

“If you’re gonna continue to be this grumpy, I’m gonna have Silas wheel you back to the car.” Katya threatened.

“I’m not grumpy. Not being able to dress myself just happens to be the highlight of my already bad day.” Aleks replied.

The other guests sitting in small clusters of people looked on with perturbed faces, which Naomi mirrored.

“Well?! You’ve dragged a man at death’s door out of his hospital bed. Care to explain why?” Aleks exclaimed.

The staff muttering, shocked, before looking at Naomi like she was the devil himself.

Silas rolled the chair up to the long table Naomi was sitting at alone, the surrounding groups all sending at least one individual to sit around it.

“I apologize for-” Naomi started, but was interrupted as a waiter brought over a bowl of soup and a pitcher of water and placed it in front of Mr. Titanos.

The waiter’s right sleeve was folded up to reveal a white-lined mark on his forearm as he placed the items on the table.

“The chef wanted me to bring you this in case Sir felt peckish. Compliments of the house, of course.” The waiter said before stepping away.

“Thank you.” Mr. Titanos replied. His tone and expression switched to an entirely amicable one.

Naomi just stared as he broke a bit of bread off and dipped it in the soup, taking a careful bite.

“As I was about to say, I apologize for the abrupt nature of this meeting, but as you might have heard, we have a bit of an emergency.” Naomi began making sure to make eye contact with every person at the table.

“What did you do?” Mr. Titanos asked, rudely ruining Naomi’s pace.

“I can’t disclose all the details, but what I can say is that we would like your community’s help-” Naomi marched on, only to be interrupted again.

“What. Did. You. Do?” Mr. Titanos demanded.

“Aleks, maybe a softer approach would-” Katya began.

“To hell with their pride, Katya, they opened a fucking rift in our backyard, I wanna know how they did it, why they thought doing something so moronic would be a good idea, and what they hoped to gain from it.” Aleks exploded into a tirade, before taking a calm breath and placing a hand on Katya’s giving her an apologizing look.

“Devos seconds that sentiment.” Michael Devos stated.

“So does pack Oleson.” John Oleson joined in.

“Even though these might not be our lands, Tokugawa too agrees with the Titan.”

“Clan Fjorgyn, as well.” Ivar said in his gruff voice.

This continued for the almost a dozen representatives sitting around the table.

Naomi cursed inwardly as she lost the room, and instead of being the one to interrogate, she now had to provide answers.

“As some of you may know, we’ve recently discovered an Anomaly.” Naomi started.

“Discovered or Found?” Aleks asked, the people around the table turning to her for an answer.

“I’m not at liberty to say.” Naomi answered.

“Well, that’s one answer crossed off the list. How the hell you made a rift, I don’t even know.” Aleks said, leaning back in his chair.

“At twenty-three hundred hours’ last night, an experiment was performed involving large currents of electricity being supplied to this anomaly in hopes of stimulating one of its beneficial aspects.”

“The blackout.” Katya stated, more than questioned.

“Yes, a convenient coverup months in the making.” Naomi replied, nonetheless.

“Would that work?” Katya asked Aleks.

“The conversion rate would be shit, but at the end of the day, energy is energy.” Aleks replied.

“Excuse me, but what exactly would feeding this thing that much energy do?” Devos asked.

“They poked a hole and now things are spilling through.” Aleks replied.

“A hole through what?” Devos continued.

“It sounds more grandiose that it really is, but Reality might be a good term for it. This plane of existence is another one.” Aleks clarified.

“And what exactly is spilling through?” Devos asked, concerned.

“Well, there’s only one person here who can answer that question, so Ms. Winters, what are we dealing with?” Aleks said, turning his attention once more to her.

***

“We’re still monitoring her, but she seems to be doing fine, nothing but a couple of mild bruises. What she needs most right now is to rest.” The doctor said softly.

Ahead of them sleeping on what could be mistaken for a giant furry beanbag slept the Sasha, a bushy tail big enough to cover her entire body draped across her like a blanket.

The doctors had been skeptical at first when they heard the stories of a giant pitch black wolf watching over the young Miss, but upon seeing the creature themselves, they couldn’t argue its existence any longer.

They’d been fearful to approach at first, as whenever anyone came within fifteen feet of the sleeping child, the wolf would raise its monstrous head and stare at them vigilantly, until they finished their task and retreated.

“Thank you, Doctor.” Emily whispered with tears in her eyes before walking up to the giant canine unafraid and laying down beside her daughter embracing her.

The mighty beast let out a low, comforting whine as Emily cried quiet tears.

The doctor noticed movement around the room. Two smaller wolves circled the room while a larger one with four terrible eyes kept watch towards the door.

***

Natasha looked through the two way leaded mirror. Fifteen hospital gurneys lined up on the other side. In each laid one of the witches who’d almost brought their clan to its knees, each wore a crimson handprint on the side of their face.

They had been unconscious ever since they’d been found, whatever Aleks had done to them, keeping them like that.

“What do you think it means? The mark I mean.” Clara asked from beside her.

“I’m not sure, but it doesn’t look like an oath mark, and he placed it somewhere they couldn’t hide it... He could have just killed them. He must have left them alive for a reason.” Natasha muttered.

“Maybe it’s, like a curse or something?” Clara suggested.

“Yeah, but the only curses I’ve seen him mark people with are the kind that melts skin and blackens bone.” Natasha replied.

“They could go up in flames any moment. Maybe it’s just delayed.” Clara started speculated.

“Why are you here?” Natasha sighed before Clara could go off on a wild tangent of the possible meaning behind the marks.

“Oh, right. Sophia called to check in and tell you she’s alright, her grandmother apparently having moved herself in to your house... Ouch.” Clara said looking at Natasha sympathetically.

Natasha glared at her young protegee, causing the Sentire to hurriedly flip to the next message.

“We’ve got an inbound convoy of personnel and resources from our northwestern facilities. They’ll be setting up in the old compound and there’s talks of constructing a new combined complex. The Elder Custodes would like your input on the project. And lastly it... oh... Okay, don’t get mad.” Clara said nervously backing away.

“What is it?” Natasha said, her eyes narrowing.

“Well... uhm, it would seem Mr. Titanos has woken up...” Clara didn’t see Natasha move, one second she was there and the next she was just gone, until Clara felt the practically supersonic smack to the back of her head and heard distant footsteps.

“I should probably start reading the whole pile and not just the top ones.” Clara said, rubbing the back of her aching head.

***

“Grandmother, I really appreciate the thought, but you really don’t need to. I’m doing fine. The Spiderbots take care of all the housework, the only thing I do is occasionally cook because I enjoy it.” Sophia said, trying to find some way to fix the situation she currently found herself in.

“Nonsense. Besides, it’s not good for you to only be surrounded by these things you need family close by to take care of you. Maybe not now, but in the months to come.” Agda argued while trying to shoo one of the spiderbots down from the coffee table, the little machine whirring at the unwelcome intruder threateningly.

Agda looked in disbelief at the audacity of the little drone. Her gaze hardening in challenge as she pushed a mug off the table, letting it fall to the floor and shatter, never breaking eye contact with the tiny robot.

The little creature fumed as it fired off into a tirade of mechanical beeps and sounds, the meaning of which was clear, even if no one could understand the drone’s weird language.

Agda simply waited until it ran out of steam and then smugly asked.

“Aren’t you gonna clean that up?”