Chương 25: Bk 1 Ch 23: Eye

By the end of the weekend, I doubt there's a single person in Franklin who hasn't heard of Schwarzschild. My strike on Surf 'n Turf and subsequent fight with Barracuda even made national news. It's still mostly being referred to as an "outbreak of gang violence" rather than a massacre or a rampage; I was thankfully right that no bystanders were killed or even seriously injured.

Still, it's fairly uncommon for even moderately powerful black masks like myself or Barracuda to get into a proper fight, usually not more than once or twice a month across the entire country. Reactions from the Sun Eaters range from outright jubilation to nervous relief that at least they're on the scarier side. The gang's had a rougher start than I would've liked, but it seems like I've more or less succeeded in gaining everyone's confidence in spite of that.

Still, the long stretch of peace we're in dire need of to really settle in and build ourselves a strong foundation is a ways off yet. Sunday night, Huntsman requests a meeting. I of course accept, with a little trepidation. I'm not about to take Barracuda's word for anything, but I can't completely discard the chance that she's right about the Syndicate after all, either. Nothing seems out of the ordinary tonight, though, and if Huntsman's upset, he does a good job of hiding it.

"Schwarzschild," he greets me.

"Quite the show you put on the other night."

"Thank you," I reply dryly, although I'm not sure it's intended as a compliment. He chuckles slightly.

"I mean that sincerely. You've been doing an impressive job of holding your own. How close did you actually get to killing Barracuda?"

"Not close enough," I say, keeping it vague.

"No, not quite close enough," he agrees.

"You're doing well with what you've got, but what you've got isn't quite enough to finish the job, and that puts you in a bit of an awkward spot."

"Let me guess. You're here to offer me a way out?"

"Please, I'm not trying to sell you a car, here. I've made our position clear, whether or not you ask for our help is up to you. No, I'm just here as a good friend, to pass on a little rumor I heard like good friends do." Looks like pushing him a little the last time we talked was the right call after all.

"And what would that be?"

"There's a white mask in Franklin," he says, dropping the casual pretense.

"One of the Portland strike team. Dunno who, ABRA works hard to stop us from finding out what their people are up to. Probably Snowflake or Chimera, but it could be Dynamic if the chief of police screamed at ABRA loud enough. If you get in another fight with Surf 'n Turf, you'd best be prepared for a surprise guest."

"I see," I reply after a moment. That's not completely shocking, I was more than half expecting it already, but knowing for certain is still extremely valuable.

"Thank you. I appreciate the warning."

"Sure," he says, nodding.

"Regardless of what happens from here, you've already hit Surf 'n Turf where it hurts. That makes our lives easier, if only a little bit. You do us a favor, we do you a favor. We're not gonna actually fight any battles for you unless you join, but if you ever find yourself in need of a little bigger favor, I'm sure we can come to an agreement."

"I'll keep that in mind," I say, nodding slowly. After I leave, I fly around for a while, just to help me think. I feel like I've got a pretty good read on Huntsman at this point. He doesn't seem like he's a bad guy, but before anything else, he's pragmatic. Any time he helps me out, I should assume he's getting something out of it too. I'm sure any favor he asked from me would end up tying me closer to the Syndicate somehow, even if he framed it as a one-time thing.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, though, as long as I'm careful to never give away more than I realize. The real problem is that Huntsman isn't ultimately the guy in charge, although I assume he has at least some say. I know Surtr is generally considered to be the third-most powerful magical on the West Coast, but I know absolutely nothing about him on a personal level. Well, those are problems for later. Right now, I need to figure out how to proceed with Surf 'n Turf given what I just learned.

On the surface, the safer play would be to return to business as usual as much as possible, relax our guard just enough that we can start turning a profit again while still mostly keeping our heads down. The problem is, our positions have essentially switched. Smashing Surf 'n Turf's ability to aggressively pressure us is definitely a huge win, but it also means that they're the ones biding their time now, waiting to hit us until they find a place that'll really hurt.

It might be months before they find that opportunity, but sooner or later they will find it, and there's really not much I can do to stop it. It's possible the cops will track them down first, but that's a gamble I'd rather not make. I've got another option now, though. Previously, there wasn't any real point in trying to set a trap for Barracuda and Obsidian personally, because there wasn't any trap I could set that would actually give me a chance of beating both of them at once.

But as the old joke goes, "I don't need to outrun the bear, I just need to outrun you." If I give them the opportunity they're looking for, I don't think they'll be able to resist. It's risky, though, because the bait needs to be real. It'll be on me to keep the two of them busy for an unknown length of time, and if I screw it up, a lot of people I care about could die.

But when it comes down to it, I'd much rather take the risk that I can affect the outcome of, rather than the risk that I have almost no control over at all. I still lay the two options out to my enforcers Monday night, since they'll be the ones at risk. Given that they're both my most committed and my most aggressive members, I'm not surprised when they unanimously vote to take the more proactive approach.

The plan starts falling together pretty smoothly, even if it's a little rushed, and I get the call I'm expecting just a couple of days later.

"Hey, Gabby? It's Chris."

"Oh, hey man, how's it going?"

"Not bad, not bad. So, listen, I got a call the other day asking if I wanted to play an event on New Year's Eve, a warehouse party."

"Oh, nice! Do they need another DJ?"

"Uh, yeah, they do. I, uh, I actually turned it down. It just seems a little sketchy, with all the shit that's been going on lately, you know. Got the feeling the organizers might be, you know, involved. Think I might not be the only one who said no, cause they're really shelling out, they offered two fifty an hour, potentially for multiple hours. Not sure if it's worth it, but I figured I'd at least let you know, in case you really need the money."

"I mean, I could definitely use the money, yeah. I'd give 'em a call, at least hear what they have to say."

"Alright, lemme give you his number. Just, be careful, okay? Don't make any promises you're not sure you'll wanna keep."

"Yeah, sure. Thanks for letting me know."

"Course. Merry Christmas." He gives me Rick's number, which I of course already have. I'm also going to be paying myself with my own money, but I guess a dollar saved is a dollar earned. I feign a little hesitation and nervousness to sell it, but let him "convince" me to play without too much trouble. Later, I have to keep a straight face while he worries to me that I might chicken out. On Christmas, I go over to Alex's house.

It feels a touch awkward, we haven't really been dating long enough for that kind of thing, but her parents insist since they know I don't really have anywhere else to spend it. They even get me a couple of presents, mostly practical stuff like a set of cooking utensils. Alex gives me an astronomy book, a new copy of the one I left behind when I ran away. I'm genuinely touched that she remembered me mentioning it, and have to be careful not to hug her too tightly.

My gift feels a little lackluster in comparison, a tanktop with the phrase "Welcome to the gun show," but she still laughs and immediately goes to put it on. Later, in private, she gives me some clothes as well. She blushes furiously when I teasingly suggest that they're more of a present for her than for me, and promise to let her unwrap me later. I don't mention the rave on New Year's Eve, not wanting to spoil the holiday with a potential argument.

That unfortunately comes back to bite me a couple of days after Christmas, at a low-key house party at Tyler's place. We're all chilling in his living room, sipping on drinks and shooting the shit, when Lisa asks, "You guys doing anything fun for New Year's Eve?"

"Oh, yeah, there's gonna be a bigass warehouse party," replies Katelyn immediately.

"You're playing it, right Gabby?"

"Yup," I reply casually.

"Should be a good time." Alex isn't fooled; I can feel her tense, since I'm sitting on her lap.

"You're playing a show? How come you didn't say anything?"

"Sorry. I just, you know, figured you probably wouldn't be allowed to go."

"Aw, come on!" says Katelyn.

"If you're gonna sneak out any night, New Year's Eve is the night to do it, right?" Alex picks me up off her lap and puts me next to her, so she can face me. I can't help but wince slightly.

"Gabby… Are you really sure that's a good idea right now?"

"It'll be fine, don't worry. And besides, they're paying me like five hundred bucks!"

"Damn," says Tyler, whistling.

"If you're sure it'll be fine, then why didn't you tell me?" says Alex, not distracted.

"That's a lot more than you usually get paid, right? Were they having trouble finding DJs?" I sigh, running a hand over my hair.

"Okay, yeah, fine, I didn't tell you cause I didn't want you to worry. Seriously, though, I promise it'll be fine."

"You can't promise that, though!" says Alex.

"You don't want me to worry, that means you know there's something to worry about!"

"Look, it's not… Can we talk about this later?"

"I don't know, can we? Cause I assumed we would've talked about it already, but apparently we didn't."

"Hey, you don't need to worry, we'll look after Gabby," says Cassie.

"She's in good hands, promise."

"I don't want someone looking after Gabby, I want her to not be putting herself in danger in the first place!" snaps Alex.

"And that goes for the rest of you, too! Seriously, does no one see a problem with this? There was a magical fight barely even a week ago, they blew up an entire fucking house with thirteen people inside! Missing one party won't kill you, but going just might!"

"Alex, please," I interject.

"I already promised I'd be there, I can't back out at the last minute, I don't want to get blacklisted. Just… Trust me, okay? Everything will be fine."

"It's not about trust, promises aren't gonna stop a magical from blowing up the entire party!" She stands, glaring around the room, and then at me.

"And even if it were about trust, how can I trust you when you're hiding things like this?" With that, she turns and stalks away into the kitchen. I start to follow, then sink back down instead. I don't think there's anything I can say right now to make things better. The worst part is, she's right to be worried, there is going to be danger. She just… doesn't have the full picture. Fuck. I really hope I haven't ruined everything.

"... Sorry," mumbles Katelyn eventually.

"I didn't mean to start a fight." I wave her off.

"It's fine, it was my fault anyway. I should've talked to her sooner."

"... Doesn't she kinda have a point, though?" asks Anja.

"Are you really sure this is safe?"

"I'm sure," says Cassie.

"Even if some trouble does show up, we'll handle it." Anja doesn't look completely reassured, but she doesn't push the point any further. Alex comes back after a few minutes and sits down next to me, but she doesn't put an arm around me, and she doesn't really rejoin the conversation. I don't talk much either. I'm busy wrestling with a decision. Or, no; I already know what I want to do, and I'm trying to convince myself to do it. Eventually, stomach humming with nerves, I put my hand on Alex's arm.

"Hey. Do you wanna go?" She looks at me for a few seconds, then nods curtly.

"Yeah, let's go." We say our apologetic goodbyes and head out to her car. As we drive, Alex almost starts to say something a few times, but doesn't. I'm glad; I'm still working myself up. Eventually, we reach my place. I take a deep breath and say, "Will you… come up for a little bit? Just to talk?" Again, she looks at me for a moment, then nods, her face softening slightly.

"Okay." We head up to my apartment.

"Jesus, it's cold in here," says Alex.

"Sorry. I'll turn the heat up."

"Thanks." She pauses for a moment.

"Is… Is that what this is about? Are you, like, having trouble paying bills and stuff?"

"... No. Or, not like you're thinking. I just… don't really notice the cold that much." I take a seat on the couch. After a moment, she takes a seat on the other end, leaving a little space between us.

"Then what is it about? You're one of the smartest people I know, Gabby. I know you realize this isn't safe. So why are you doing it?" I take another deep breath, then reach out and take her hand.

"I… I really like you, Alex. I really want this to work. And… That means I need to be honest with you. But… First, I need you to promise me that you won't ever tell anyone else what I'm about to tell you, no matter what, even if we break up. Can you promise me that? Absolutely?" She's a little taken aback, staring at me with a small frown for a few seconds. But then her expression firms, and she nods.

"Of course. You can trust me, I promise. Whatever's going on, I want to help."

"... Okay." My heart is hammering, and I spend a few more seconds steadying myself. Then I stand and take a couple steps to the center of the room. I turn, give her a mischievous grin, do a little twirl, and transform.

"Tadaa," I say, spreading my arms. Alex's mouth falls all the way open. For several seconds, she just stares at me, while I do my best to hide my nerves. The mask helps.

"... Holy shit," she eventually breaths.

"Holy shit. You're… You're a magical girl? You… Jesus. You are Schwarzschild."

"I am," I confirm. She stares at me in silence for a few more seconds. Then, a slightly hysterical giggle forces itself out of her throat. She puts a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle the hysterical laughter.

"... Alex?" I ask anxiously.

"I…" She struggles to get control of herself, then whispers,"I've spanked a black mask for being naughty." I instantly turn bright red. I'm pretty sure I've never actually blushed in costume before.

"... I have been a pretty naughty girl, haven't I?" She blushes too.

"I- No, stop that! Not the time!"

"Right, sorry." She takes a few deep breaths.

"I don't… This is… Jesus. I'm not even sure where to start. I… I feel like this should be a total shock, but… It also kind of makes sense somehow? Like… There was a piece of you that was missing, and now that I know it's there, it feels like it should've been obvious all along."

"I mean, I've worked pretty hard to present myself as someone who no one would ever think of as a black mask," I say, shrugging.

"... Yeah," says Alex, frowning.

"I… How much of it was fake?"

"None of it," I reply immediately.

"I've never pretended to be someone I'm not, not with you. But… I haven't let you see all of who I am, either." She nods slowly, then hesitates, licking her lips.

"Gabby… How many people have you killed?"

"... I'm not sure, exactly. A lot." She doesn't really seem to have a response to that, so after a moment, I drop my transformation and sit back down next to her.

"Can I tell you the whole story? From the start?"

"... Alright." I take a few moments to gather my thoughts, then say, "It started the night I ran away from home…" The talking alone helps, gives her the time she needs to realize that I really am still Gabby. She's a little overwhelmed, of course, it's a lot to drop on her all at once, but that also helps keep her from fixating on any one thing. There's sympathy at what I went through, discomfort at the way I handled a lot of it, but relief that I survived it all.

There's anger at how much I hid from her, but also happiness that I'm trusting her with it now. There's fear at suddenly finding herself on the very edge of the deadly underworld of black masks, but also reassurance that I wasn't lying about being able to handle it. When I finally finish, she spends a couple of minutes just sitting silently and processing everything, and I don't rush her. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"So I was right, then," she says eventually.

"The New Year's Eve rave, there's not just a risk of trouble, you're outright expecting it."

"You were right," I agree.

"I didn't want to lie to you, but I couldn't explain without, well, you know."

"Are you really okay with risking so many lives like that? The lives of your friends?"

"I don't like it, no. But it's the best of bad options. At least this way, I know when and where they're going to attack. If I don't do anything, the first thing I'll know about it is finding out who's dead." She sighs, running a hand through her hair.

"I feel like there's got to be a better way. But I don't really know anything about this kind of thing, so if you say there's not, I guess you're probably right. I just… I don't think I could do it. Gamble with the lives of people I care about like that."

"It's a gamble, yeah, but it's not a blind gamble. If I'd actually killed Barracuda, it might've pushed Obsidian to the point of throwing his own life away for revenge. But right now, they've still got something to live for. If they just massacre an entire party of innocent people, the white masks will drop literally everything else until they've been hunted down. Besides, what they really want is me, and that's what I'm gonna give them.

And we've got plans to get everyone out safely for anything less than the entire building immediately getting leveled." She laughs slightly, shaking her head.

"... It's funny. I think I always knew, deep down, that I was only pretending to be the confident one in this relationship. I just… Didn't realize quite how far it really went."

"Don't say that," I say, frowning.

"It's not… It's easy to be confident when you can twist physics into a pretzel with a thought. I've got an unfair advantage. The way you called me and everyone else out earlier, that took a lot of confidence. You're not just pretending." She shrugs.

"I dunno. The way you casually talk about fights with dozens of lives on the line just kind of… puts things in perspective. Thanks, though."

"... Maybe. I've still felt halfway to throwing up this whole conversation, though," I admit.

"Are… Are you okay? With all of this?"

"I…" She sighs.

"I need a little time to think about it. But… I really like you too, Gabby. That hasn't changed. I don't want to break up with you. I'm just… I'm scared of where staying with you might take me."

"It doesn't have to take you anywhere," I say.

"You deserve to know about all of this, but you don't have to get involved if you don't want to."

"Can I really be part of your life if I don't, though?" she asks.

"I don't want to be the Kay to your Michael Corleone."

"You'll be part of my life either way. Maybe I'm not just Gabby, but I don't want to become just Schwarzschild either. Even if school and dates and dinners at your house aren't matters of life and death, they're still important to me." She shakes her head.

"Maybe you're right. I just need some time to think about it, I promise I won't take too long. And I won't tell anyone, either, no matter what I end up deciding."

"... Yeah, okay. Thanks."

"Of course. I promise I'll still be on your side, one way or another." She pauses for a few moments.

"Is there anything else you want to tell me?" I hesitate, then shake my head.

"No. There's still a couple of things I haven't told you, but they're not my secrets to tell. Nothing about me."

"Okay," she says, nodding.

"... Thanks. For trusting me. I know it can't have been easy. It means a lot, that you care that much about me." She stands. After a moment, I stand too. We linger by the door in silence for several seconds. I'm not sure which of us moves first, but then we're frantically kissing each other, squeezing each other like we never want to let go. Eventually, we do anyway, and I step back reluctantly.

"Be careful, Gabby. Please. I don't ever want to read about you dying in the paper."

"You won't. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that." She gives me one last look, clearly holding herself back from kissing me again, before finally turning and leaving. I sit back down on the couch, and stay there for a long time. It doesn't hurt the same way it did when Emily broke up with me, when it felt like a vital piece of me had been ripped out. Instead, the worst part is the uncertainty. As much as I want to believe she'll come back, I can't be absolutely sure. And there's nothing I can do except wait.

The next couple of days are unpleasant. There's only so much I can do to help prepare for New Year's Eve, and I do all of it and then some just to keep myself busy. That's not necessarily a bad thing, there really is a huge amount at stake, but by the end of it I'm pretty sure I'm starting to make some of my enforcers nervous with the amount of hypothetical problems I throw at them.

On the last day of December, Cassie invites herself over and insists we spend the afternoon watching cheesy action movies, which does help me relax at least a little. We chose the venue for the rave carefully. The warehouse we're using is third in a row of four similar buildings, the other three occupied. It's in far west Franklin, nowhere near Surf 'n Turf's territory, but I think we're well past the point of that mattering.

The parking lot in front is narrow, really just an extra-wide alley with barely enough room for a truck to pull over and unload. The opposite side of the alley is bordered by some kind of factory or something, meaning that there's only two ways in or out. At first glance, it looks like a trap, but only if you consider walls to be obstacles. I do a final check-in a little before nine, making sure everyone's in position.

Six of my enforcers are parked on the nearby streets to serve as lookouts: Two on either end of the alley, one behind the warehouses, and one on the far side of the factory. The rest will be inside, and all of them have cheap walkie talkies. None of my regular dealers are working here tonight; if and when the shit hits the fan, I'll be counting on them to get the crowd out safely. Afterwards, I meet back up with Cassie, who drives me over along with my equipment and albums.

I really hope I won't need to abandon them, but it's a risk that needs to be taken. We only ended up getting three DJs tonight, myself included, so I pitch in to help get everything set up. I make sure to act extra bubbly for the benefit of my enforcers, which works maybe a little too well. A few minutes in, Dylan comes over and introduces himself, then says, "I like those streamers in your hair, super cute."

"Thanks," I say, grinning.

"My girlfriend thinks so too." He blushes and stammers, Cassie cackles, and Sarge snaps at both of them to stop fucking around. We finish the last sound tests a few minutes before ten, as people are starting to trickle in. At ten o'clock sharp, I get up and start my set. I'm playing first tonight, since it'll be slightly more convenient if I'm not playing when trouble shows up, although we've made plans to handle it either way. We'll be rotating DJs every hour, so in theory my next set will be at one.

It goes off with no problems as the place slowly fills up. Tyler and a few of my other friends from school show up around 10: 30; I offer them a grin and a wave. By the time I hand things off at 11, the place is properly filling up, with well over a hundred people. I'm glad to see it, I was nervous people would be spooked like a lot of the local DJs are, but I find Cassie doing brisk business once I step down and wander over.

Although it's a secondary priority, tonight is our biggest chance to make money in a good couple of months, and we need to take full advantage of it. We've even got a little makeshift bar set up in the corner selling liquor in plastic cups, and also balloons full of nitrous. I don't take anything myself. Even if transforming would burn it out of me, I don't want anything delaying my reactions tonight. None of my enforcers do, either.

I'm going to be glad when this is over with, so I can actually enjoy parties properly again. For now, I do my best to relax while I wait for whatever's going to happen to happen. Maybe nothing will even end up happening at all; it'd be pretty hard for Barracuda and Obsidian to miss what's going on given how many fliers we put up around the University and downtown, but it's possible their caution will end up outweighing their desire for revenge. For now, I just stick close to Cassie.

Since I can't exactly carry my own walkie talkie out of costume, she's my link to everyone else. A couple of my other friends try to get me to come dance, but I deflect by telling them I want to stay focused on DJing for the night. With plenty of customers keeping Cassie busy, though, I end up mostly talking with Tyler, who's also spending more time hanging out with her than on the dance floor.

Cassie hasn't said anything yet, but I'm about ninety percent sure the two of them have already started dating in everything but name.

"Got any resolutions?" he asks me a little while before midnight.

"Nah. If you wanna do something, you should do it right away. New Year's Resolutions are just an excuse to put it off." He laughs and nods.

"Yeah, that's fair. Gotta wait for some things, though. I'm thinking about getting some ink done, once I turn 18 this summer."

"Yeah? What do you wanna get?"

"Dunno, haven't made up my mind yet. Probably gonna get a 1312 at some point, but not sure if I want it to be my first." I nod.

"My friend Jess has got some pretty cool tattoos. She's got a big phoenix spreading its wings right over her boobs."

"Bet you spent plenty of time appreciating it, didn't you?" says Tyler, laughing.

"You ever think about getting ink done?"

"Maybe," I say. Honestly, I'm not even sure if I can get a tattoo, if it would stay after I transformed.

"If I did, I'd probably get something star-themed." I'd kind of like to get a black hole, but that'd be way too obvious.

"My first tattoo is gonna be a circle-A," says Cassie, rejoining the conversation.

"Haven't decided how I want to do it yet, though. Figured I might as well get something fancy since I've got the cash for it. Maybe, like, have it drawn out of flowers and vines and stuff, real big on my back so you can see the details."

"That'd be pretty sick," agrees Tyler.

"Maybe roses, like with thorns and stuff?"

"Oh, hell yeah," says Cassie, grinning.

"That's good, I'll remember that one."

"One minute!" someone shouts, interrupting the conversation. Everyone cheers, and the DJ turns down the music a little to count us down.

"Three! Two! One! HAPPY 1999!" I scream it along with everyone else, noticing Cassie pulling Tyler into a sloppy kiss next to me. I wonder if Alex is still awake? I really hope she doesn't decide to break up with me, but I started dating her already knowing what my priorities were. It brings my mood down a little for the first few minutes of the year, but I don't end up having time to brood over it.

Just ten or fifteen minutes after midnight, Cassie comes up to me and puts a hand on my shoulder, leaning in close to whisper.

"Trouble incoming, north and south side. Sounds like they came in force." I nod shortly.

"Nothing around back?"

"Not yet."

"I'll open it up, then. Get everyone ready to move."

"Right. Good luck."

"Thanks." I leave it there, striding swiftly away towards the back corner of the warehouse. There's some little closed off partitions and offices running along the side of the room, and behind them, a short hallway leading to an emergency exit. As Sarge gets up on stage and the music cuts out, I slip behind some speakers and other equipment carefully placed to hide the entrance of the hallway from view.

"Alright, everyone listen up! Bad news, we're gonna have to end things a little early tonight. There's a little trouble happening out front, so we're all gonna leave through the rear exit that'll open in just a second. Everyone keep calm-" The alarm on the door's already been disabled, so I transform and go through. The outer wall of the warehouse is corrugated metal. I summon my spear and cut straight through it, about ten feet up from the ground, then thirty or so feet over, and finally back down.

Then, I yank the entire section outwards with a gravity field. It falls with a screech of snapping metal, leaving an opening in the back of the warehouse as big as the door in front. I keep to the side so I won't be seen, but I still hear a few screams from inside.

"Easy, that's just our exit," says Sarge.

"Come on, everyone this way, out behind the stage, no need to push…" I don't wait to hear anymore, trusting my enforcers to keep everyone moving. Now, it's time for me to do my job and make sure they aren't followed. I shoot up into the air and over the building, pausing for a second to have a look at the situation. The last handful of ravers who'd been outside smoking are hurrying back into the warehouse, having realized what's going on.

A dozen or so figures are approaching from the north end of the alley, all of them armed. Another group is at the south end, but they're not approaching. A single figure is facing them, blocking the way into the alley. It takes me a moment to understand what I'm looking at, and then I let out bark of exasperated laughter.

"God dammit, you stupid, noble idiot," I mutter. This changes things, but there's no time to figure out exactly how; I'll just have to play it by ear. I drop lower and use the roof of the warehouses to cover me as I approach, then peer carefully over the edge.

"... Last warning, kid," Barracuda is saying.

"This is none of your business. You can either move, or we're going through you."

"I don't care about your stupid gang war," snaps Anja. Her glowing clones start stepping out of her, spreading out to block the alley off.

"You can kill as many of each other as you want, but you're not doing it at a party full of innocent people!"

"We're here for the Sun Eaters, and no one else," says Obsidian.

"Everyone'll be free to leave once we've rounded them up."

"Yeah, and what if they don't just let themselves get rounded up?" demands Anja.

"Schwarzschild could show up any minute. Guns are bad enough, you're risking way worse than that!"

"This entire party is nothing but a giant fucking taunt from Schwarzschild!" snarls Barracuda.

"Anything that happens to those people is on her, not us!"

"To blame others for your own actions is to discard your agency." Every eye instantly snaps to me, finding me standing on the edge of the roof. I push off lightly, drifting slowly down.

"If you aren't willing to own your decisions without apologies, then you had no business making them in the first place." I glance over at Anja.

"If this is your way of making atonement, then you can consider it accepted. You don't need to stay any longer."" You're not who I need atonement from," she snaps at me.

"I'm not going anywhere until those people are safe." I'm both touched and exasperated by the way she's trying to protect me and our other friends, because I can't tell her that they're already safe or will be shortly; I need Barracuda and Obsidian thinking I'm stuck here. So instead, I say, "Our goals are the same, then. A truce, for now?" She glares at me for a second, then grates out, "... Fine." Then she turns back to face Barracuda, and I follow.

"Fine," repeats Barracuda.

"That's how you want it? That's how you'll get it." She gestures behind her, mostly unnecessarily; the regular members of Surf 'n Turf had already been staying well back from Valkyrie, and started backpedaling even further as soon as I made my appearance. At her signal, several of them outright turn and run, the rest following a moment later. I let them go. It's too late to pretend I'm not a killer, but I need to avoid appearing bloodthirsty at all costs right now.

"I doubt we can stop you from running," says Obsidian.

"But if you do, know that your gang will pay the price.

"I wasn't intending on it," I reply. Not yet, at least.

"Good," snarls Barracuda. For a moment, no one moves. Then, everything starts moving all at once.