“You’re just getting rid of the people you don’t like,” Brad accused.

“See it how you want to see it; I don’t care,” Addy said, “The plan’s to divide and conquer, and Alec and I work together best.”

“You guys also have all the items,” Brad complained.

Which was true.

Addy handed Brad the game stone, and said, “There. Now you have our second-best item. Should be enough.”

I wanted to argue the point. The boomstick dispenser was not better than the game stone in terms of overall usefulness.

But there wasn’t time for that. Teddy was here. Somewhere. We had to find him before Fudo’s ‘spectacle’ occurred.

The group split, Addy and I traveling clockwise around the edge of the crowd, while Kendra and Brad made their way counter-clockwise. Whichever team found Teddy would either rescue him or send a signal to the other team, depending on the situation.

The first option would require stealth, so I deemed it unlikely. We-

No. I had failed the last stealth mission with my reckless driving. Kendra and Addy were also shirtless, which would naturally draw attention. Stealth would inevitably fail. As such, I’d keep an eye on the crowd, checking for a signal from the other team.

As we skirted the edge of the event, the orchestra swelled. All spotlights converged on Avery, painting her in overlapping purples and golds. She swayed, eyes closed, feeling the rhythm. Her hand brought the microphone up slowly, tracing the device along her curves.

Her eyes opened a moment later. An intense expression, accentuated by heavy amounts of eyeshadow. Eyes that distracted, demanding my attention.

And she began to sing,

"When I glimpse all these women

They're all wrapped up in floral

Feigning wealth with their linens

I need something more formal

I don't mean to start drama

But I'm not being cordial

So make haste with the ribbons

And then shroud me in laurels"

Her voice was tender, bouncing every third syllable. Soft-spoken and innocent and nothing particularly special. It was a shame because her outfit and demeanor continued to distract. Everything but her voice was on point. Perfection.

Security officers marked the perimeter of the event. Black clothes, black caps, and concealed guns. They watched Addy and I as we patrolled, heads swiveling, searching for Teddy and the men in ascots. No doubt did they find us suspicious. We were the only ones not watching the performance, after all.

Meanwhile, the pace of the song slowed, and Avery launched into the chorus. I immediately recognized it as Jakob's ringtone,

"Worship me

Offer me security

Give in to my purity

While I shame your perversity"

"Kiss the ground

Lay all of your weapons down

All my subjects, gather round

Revel while your queen is crowned"

We were a quarter of the way around the perimeter now, and we still hadn’t spotted our targets. Not outside the crowd, nor inside, nor near the stage. I was starting to consider that Addy might have been right. Had Fudo been bluffing? Feeding us misinformation which sounded a little too ideal?

A mounting feeling of dread made my stomach uneasy. Dreading that we might have failed Teddy. Dreading Addy’s imminent “I told you so.”

Near the stage, the orchestra quieted, making way for a softer second verse. The trumpets continued to toot, muted, and a lone saxophone became the most audible instrument.

Contrasting this was Avery’s voice, which seemed to transform into something more adult. Authoritative, raspy, and playfully whiny. Louder and more confident than before. She’d been holding back,

"Your devotion’s requested

Bring your knee to your chin

You’ll be docile, not restless

Honey, I’ll tell you when

Take a seat at my throne-side

Take a knife, do not flinch

I will see where your bones hide

When I’m wearing your skin"

Dark lyrics, and yet I couldn’t stop watching her. Her voice was tantalizing. Engrossing. Her presence was engulfing, and I could feel her voice all around me. It was increasingly difficult to maintain my focus. Who was this woman, and why had I never heard of her?

As she continued with a repeated chorus, the power of her voice intensified. It got to the point where she would occasionally shout a word, rather than sing it. The crowd was loving it, hooting and howling with each display of showmanship.

Still no sign of Teddy. No signal from Kendra and Brad. I searched desperately, hoping that I hadn’t misled the group.

One of the security officers stepped toward us.

"I don’t mean to be rude

But you’ll soon be subdued

Be it tape or with glue

Your whole life will be mine"

Addy greeted the officer, extending a hand for a shake.

The officer responded by driving a taser into Addy’s side.

"With rope or with string

I will bind you and sing

Of the service you’ll bring

To your goddess divine"

Addy plummeted to the street, arms rigid at his side, spitting through his teeth. I took a step back in alarm, looking at the officer with incredulity.

What the fuck? Why the random hostility?

I looked closer, noting the sliver of yellow fabric poking out from his shirt collar. A yellow ascot. ‘Raidon.’

"I’m tugging the thread

And it’s turning your head

Give me every last shred

Of your ample supply"

He advanced toward me, taser crackling.

I leveled my grappling gun. Fired without thinking.

Raidon screamed. A well of blood spilled from his foot where the metal spike had entered it and expanded.

I clicked the trigger again, bracing myself for the resultant tug. The grapple was pulled from Raidon’s foot with such force that he fell on his ass.

"Attention retention

And oh did I mention

My fated ascension

Don’t act so surprised!"

A geyser of blood spouted from the foot. Raidon failed to restrain his wails. I nearly dropped the gun out of sheer guilt.

I hadn’t wanted to. This wasn’t me. I didn’t hurt people. Fighting wasn’t a solution. I hadn’t wanted any of this!

Some of the crowd was watching me now. Apparently, my attacking a security officer was even more entertaining than the ongoing performance. I found that hard to believe.

It was a damn good performance.

More security officers were jogging towards the scene. The first to arrive raised their gun, careful to aim it in a way which wouldn’t threaten the crowd members.

I raised my hands above my head, letting the grappling gun clatter to the ground.

And Avery finished strong with one final chorus, shouting every word,

“Worship me! Offer me security!”

Addy climbed onto his hands and knees, shaking his head like a wet dog. Then he pointed to the assembly of officers and said, “Don’t point that at Alec. Point it at the impersonator who attacked us.”

Referring to Raidon.

One of the security officers smirked, and said, “Impersonator? You mean our chief of security?”

I looked to Raidon again, doing a double-take. He was still on his ass, wrapping his foot and hiding a smile.

No. All of these officers were part of the same group that ran around starting fires and kidnapping celebrities? No. Shit. Shit!

“Fuck me,” Addy said, “Nevermind, you got us.”

“Mhm,” the man with the gun said, “Now watch. If you’re good, we’ll let you off easy.”

Watch. The ‘spectacle.’ So we were right, then. It was happening here. Teddy was here.

Addy got to his feet, legs shaky. The officers shepherded us a few paces away from the crowd. Two of them kept their guns out. Lowered, but aimed in our direction.

Avery sang the last note of her song, stretching it out and gradually bringing her off-hand up. Commanding the crowd to rise. Then she stomped a heel fiercely and tossed the microphone away from her.

A drone swooped in at the last second to catch the microphone. As the orchestra proudly played the final chords, the drone took the microphone high into the sky and exploded. Purple and gold sparks rained down, filling the space between the four Pillars with dazzling color.

And the crowd went wild with rapture.

Damn.

I raised my hands to clap, then remembered the guns pointed my way. One of the security officers flicked their gun, warning me to stand down.

So I applauded her in my head, instead.

Too often did I concern myself with the bad things of the world. Death, conflict, corruption, starvation. Suffering. For a rare instance, I was able to focus on the flip side of the coin.

The human species had so much intrinsic talent. Some people could pick up a skill and be naturally good at it. Others could put in the effort and get to the same place the hard way. Dancers, singers, artists, gymnasts. So many people doing incredible things. Performing, entertaining, creating culture.

The geniuses of the world advanced our understanding. The innovators gave us a better quality of life. So many people doing brilliant things for the benefit of our species and planet.

Ted Lax was one of those people. Campaigning across the country, driving donations, and funding the fringe research groups that he believed would bring humanity into its next great era. All under the umbrella of Cause, a business pioneered here in Palo Alto. The Pillars of Humanity weren’t just a measurement of his success as a businessman. They represented legacy and a promise to the future.

Whatever happened next, I felt like it would jeopardize that future. Scary people wouldn’t go to all this trouble to do something nice for Teddy. Whatever their plans, they were using the symbolic meaning of the Pillars to their advantage. Likely to ill effect.

We needed to get a signal to the other group. Sure, we were surrounded by armed guards. Eight of them, by my count. But the game stone was a versatile tool. If used right, Kendra and Brad could still rescue us.

I couldn’t see them, and I wasn’t sure how to send the signal without alerting the guards. With luck, they had found Teddy and were extracting him from the situation.

“Thank you! I couldn’t have asked for a better audience!” Avery said, waving to the clamoring fans. Her voice carried through the speakers, suggesting she was wearing a wire. The microphone had been a prop. “When I founded Effect, I didn’t expect to grow a following so soon. It’s incredible! You’re all so endearing!”

More cheering and shouting. Avery basked in it, drinking it in.

“That’s not to say,” she continued, “That it erases the hardships I’ve been put through to get this far. The figurative battle scars. My mother’s very real scars. The abuse we suffered at the hands of an evil man.”

The crowd sighed with sympathy. Avery nodded in acknowledgment, showing sad eyes.

“Those wounds will never heal,” she said, “And I don’t want them to if that’s the price of admission. Because when I ascend and truly make this world a better place, these scars will serve as a reminder. Of where I came from and how rough the journey was. Of the evil people who live among us, who I will lock away and destroy. Of all the bad things that happen in this imperfect society. Like me, our planet is scarred. Bad things are happening all across it and not enough is being done. Childerich and I have the power to fix it, and I’ll be damned if I don’t try my hardest. Your support gives us the edge we need to make lasting change. So thank you - for helping me climb to a better place. Let’s work together to do the same for everyone!”

She finished speaking, and the crowd eagerly filled the silence. Again, I fought the urge to join them in their applause. Her words resonated with truth and beauty. They deserved applause, and I yearned to give it.

Avery smiled wide, the light catching her eyes and turning them into shimmering orbs.

I faltered, seeing that. There was something else there. Something fiercer.

“Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t demonstrate my conviction tonight. Words mean so very little, after all, if there is nothing backing them.”

Avery casually flicked a hand and the spotlights scattered, reconverging to form a direct line from the stage to one of the four towers. Alternating in color and ending on the main entrance to the building. Two men stepped out of the doors. Two men I really didn’t want to see, following those words.

Ted Lax and Blue Ascot.

They began walking, and the crowd parted to give them a path to the stage. Not a wide path, nor a safe one. Men and women shook their fists at Teddy, flicking him the bird, shouting directly into his ear as he passed. Booing, slinging insults. Teddy maintained a smile, but I could see the underlying confusion.

I was also confused. What the fuck was going on? Teddy was one of the best men I knew. An aspiration. Even with all of my good intent, I felt like I would never wear the same mantle of virtue that he wore. I still harbored selfish impulses. Teddy didn’t.

Teddy didn’t take the unfairness in stride, but he didn’t break either. He simply walked, his smile melting into something stern and resolute. Did he know what this was about? Why was everyone so pissed?

Teddy climbed the steps and came to a stop at one corner of the stage. He folded his arms, then brought a hand up to brush behind his ear.

Avery touched the area below her neck and fanned that arm out in Teddy’s trademark way. But instead of an open palm, she extended a middle finger.

Teddy saw it and raised his eyebrows.

Avery spoke, “We finally meet, on the most befitting-,”

A large man broke from the crowd and charged the stage. Shirtless and rabid. Security officers rushed to apprehend him, but it was obvious they wouldn’t reach him in time.

Kendra took the stage and spoke fast, “This is a farce! I will not let you slander a good man!”

People in the audience booed and hollered. Two officers leapt onto the stage, tasers buzzing. Blue Ascot remained at Teddy’s side, a hand on his shoulder. I spotted Brad among the crowd, near the stage but not helping.

Damnit, Brad.

“Remove yourself from the stage,” one of the officers said.

Kendra shook his head and said, “Your puny toys-,”

An officer jabbed Kendra with the taser, just above the waist. Kendra’s teeth slammed together, but he continued to speak through them.

“-cannot bring down a man of-,”

The other officer tazed Kendra’s exposed tit. This time, Kendra began to waver, falling to one knee.

“-God! Photo! Give me strength!”

No.

No...

Idiot, no!

“What’s wrong, kid?” a security officer asked, nudging me with his gun. He had noticed my rapid breathing.

Kendra had spoken Photo’s name. At a public event. There were cameras.

Shit like this had to be handled carefully. That’s why Kioshi and I were in charge of the broadcast. If Kendra said more...

The officer continued to scrutinize me.

“Conflict gives me anxiety,” I lied.

Addy snickered, knowing the response was false.

The officer nodded, accepting my answer.

Kendra began to collapse from the electricity. Then, all at once, the four officers surrounding him fell. Recoiling, gasping, sinking to their knees. Sprays of blood painted the glossy black stage, and the crowd receded, shrieking and shielding their faces.

I could guess why. I searched for Brad again and saw him retreating back into the crowd. Blending in. We’d given him the game stone and he’d used it.

On the stage, Avery scurried away from the conflict. Blue Ascot stepped in front of her, serving as cover for her and Teddy. A single drone descended from one of the tower windows, coming to a rest just above Avery’s shoulder.

“The wrath of God is swift and just!” Kendra bellowed, “I have been sent to protect Teddy Lax from your false pretense! If any harm comes to his name or person, I will enact God’s will!”

I calmed down a little, coming to understand their plan a bit better. Kendra wasn’t actually calling for Photo. He and Brad were creating the illusion of a god’s influence.

It was unclear whether it would work. At this point, Kendra was gambling that the first show of violence would be enough. That, or he was unaware of Brad’s continued retreat away from the stage.

“This is a ruse,” Avery said, speaking over Blue Ascot’s shoulder, “I’m not slandering anyone. Facts are facts! Any harm that comes to Ted Lax or his brand is his own doing!”

Kendra pointed and said, “Foolish girl. I warned you. My god is swift.”

He stressed the last word. A signal. I saw Brad make a panicked face and hurriedly reverse course, shouldering his way back towards the stage.

Fuck me. He's not cut out for this. None of us are.

Avery waved a hand dramatically, and said, “I’m calling your bluff. Watch-,”

A thin stream of blood cut through the air, highlighted in the multi-colored light. Starting from the side of Teddy’s face and arcing over Avery’s head. Teddy spun from the recoil and fell off the corner of the stage. The crowd below him parted, and he fell several meters, landing on his back and taking a jarring blow to the head.

A gunshot wound. Silent.

All became a hush. I heard the wind in my ears, blowing gently. Loud against the stark silence. When I turned to see where the shot had come from, I caught sight of a white aura disappearing into an alleyway.

Photo.

I wanted to make a break for it and run after the light god. To make demands. Or to beg. I needed some damn answers.

If I tried, I’d be detained or shot in the back. I was outnumbered and thoroughly outmatched.

And so I stood there. Watching the light fade. Trusting that Photo had a plan. One which somehow required shooting Teddy in the ear.

To the rest of the crowd, it looked as if Avery had waved her hand and given the command to fire on Teddy. It was the best explanation they had. Even if they had seen the pale light, they weren’t in the know about Photo.

The crowd was also unsure how to react. A few cheered, seeing the millionaire titan fall. A few rushed forward to make sure he was ok. Or to gawk. Cell-phones came out, spotlights were refocused, and the police helicopter drew nearer, giving up on its search for a glass airship.

Avery confided in Blue Ascot, nodding rapidly to him and the drone. Her brow was creased and her dress had lost its luster, no longer glimmering in the spotlight. I couldn't imagine what was going through her head. Photo had thrown a major wrench into her plans with Teddy, whatever they were.

That's when I realized that Addy and I hadn't reacted. Such would be suspicious.

“Was shooting him part of your plan? The ‘spectacle?’” I asked. Putting up a guise while also digging for information.

“No,” was all the response I got.

“So what you’re saying is somebody fucked up,” Addy said, playing along, “Gee, that sucks.”

An audible thwack accompanied an officer clubbing Addy with a gun. Addy stooped, cradling the back of his head, moaning from the blow.

Meanwhile, blips of Japanese phrases were crackling through Raidon’s communicator. Raidon listened, then ordered four of the nearby officers to ‘assist in recovering the target.’ They obeyed, pushing through the crowd in single-file.

My eyes drifted to their destination – Teddy – then up to the stage.

Kendra was gone. So was Brad. I scanned the crowd, searching for a large shirtless man among the clothed normal’s. Neither was present.

Troubling.

Raidon remained seated on the ground, exchanging messages over the comms in a language I couldn’t understand. At one point, he said something curt, then looked to Addy and me.

“You slipped past Fudo,” he said, deceptively casual, “How did you do it?”

“We’re not saying shit,” Addy said.

“Oh? That's disappointing. I was only seeking cheap entertainment," Raidon said wistfully, "What if I made guesses? I have time to spare.”

“Ha! Be my guest.”

“Ok,” Raidon said, pondering, “Did you… use the wall to leap over the fire?”

“No,” Addy said.

"Did you throw something over the fire before it could light?"

"No."

“Did you shoot the grenade on Fudo's belt?”

“No. He pulled the pin himself.”

“Ah, so you bargained with the man. Changed his loyalties?”

“No,” Addy said, “Nothing intricate like that. If I’m being honest, he was barely an inconvenience.”

“Ok. Hm. Simple and quick. Let’s see…”

I became increasingly impatient with each passing second. The end of the world was nigh. We had to go.

"If I say it, will you let us go?" I asked, "Our friend's in the hospital."

"Yes, the young one. I'm curious why Kioshi did not heal her," Raidon said.

"I'm curious about that, too," I said, feeling the pang of betrayal, "We were kind of depending on Teddy to get her to a decent doctor. But we'll get out of your hair if you think Kioshi can do a good-enough job."

"Kioshi is an excellent surgeon. He would do wonders for the girl," Raidon remarked, "Unfortunate that we dosed him for nine hours. He will be quite unavailable."

Fuck. Just when I thought we mightn't need Teddy.

"You seem like a reasonable guy," Addy said, "And you mentioned bargaining. Let's say we wanted to leave here with Daddy Lax. What can we do to grease those palms?"

"Not enough grease in the world, I'm afraid," Raidon said, "Under different circumstances, you might have a deal. The cost would be high, of course."

"Right, right, of course. So what are you gonna do with Teddy, huh? Doesn't seem like your plan worked out."

"We await a decision from our client," Raidon said.

The client. I looked to Avery. Her conversation with Blue Ascot seemed to be devolving. She was getting heated. Motioning with her hands. Arguing.

I wasn't sure what that meant for Teddy.

"If your client takes too long, a girls gonna die," Addy said, "Can we strike up a compromise? Let us talk to Teddy and have him call ahead to a doctor? Sorta like when you get arrested and are entitled to one phone call."

I nodded along with him. I wasn't sure how valid the phone call anecdote was. Seemed like the kind of contrivance that only existed in fiction. But Addy was thinking, coming up with good plans. I felt like we were getting somewhere.

"Yes, we could arrange that," Raidon said, "You would owe us."

"Deal," Addy said, without giving it a second thought.

I hesitated, not sure if I wanted to be in debt to these guys.

The Zeiton scout should be here by now, calling for backup. Debts won't matter when the world ends.

I summed up my courage and belatedly said, "Deal."

And just like that, we had a solution. I felt my spirits lifting...

That's when I heard the prolonged splash.

The sound carried from miles away. A sound like paper being torn in half, only the paper was made of water. A slow rip and a deep swishing as a heavy amount of water was displaced.

The helicopter above dipped its nose, veering headlong towards the noise. I tracked it across the sky. The white of its spotlight trailed across city streets full of cars and people. Over red and black shingled roofs. Out towards the lake we had flown over when first arriving in the city.

Raidon stood, waving an officer forward and leaning on their shoulder. He whispered, then said something in Japanese into the comms. His face was stricken with something resembling concern.

My first thought was earthquake. We were in the heart of California, after all. Was I supposed to be feeling something? A tremor?

As the helicopter drifted further away, I felt my face getting hot. Dual beads of sweat slipped from my forehead. The body's response to overheating was to try and cool it.

It wasn't working. I could feel my skin beginning to bake.

Then, all at once, the heat subsided. The cool breeze returned, light on the air. I breathed it in steadily, feeling a wave of relief.

I looked to Addy, wondering if he had felt the rolling temperature change.

He was staring, out towards the lake. All of the passion was gone from his face. No hints of a joke building in the back of his head. None of his usual joy or determination. A resigned look.

Not an earthquake, then. Something visible.

When I dared to look, I offered a simple nod of acceptance.

Yeah. Makes sense.

The demon stood among the waves at the edge of the city, black skin blending into the night. Barely half of his body was illuminated by the helicopter's spotlight, but it was enough for me to see it. The changes to his anatomy. Skin cracking and reshuffling.

He was growing again. Continually. Something that should have displaced the water and set the city flooding. The water should have been pushed away.

The demon pulled the water inwards, letting it coarse up his body and between the rocks on his chest. Soaking it in. Converting it to unbreakable stone.

I was reminded of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Four beings who would bring about the destruction of humanity in their final days.

With Zeiton forces on the way, the doomsday clock was ticking. It made sense that the four horsemen would want a piece of the action. A chance to bring terror to the people of Earth before their planet was razed. And they were here - in Palo Alto.

Photo, who understood very little about human culture and tended to think in the abstract.

Incumtox. One of Photo's creations.

Addy, who had asked that the demon grow by absorbing 'sources of fuel.' An ambiguous request which apparently included fucking water.

And me, the guy who had loosed the demon on the world.

Together, we had created a world-ending threat before the Zeiton army had even arrived. Four idiots to reign in the apocalypse.

Addy shook his head and let his shoulders sag. Dispassionate, he said, "Well. This is going to suck."

I nodded, drawing the wand and the grappling gun. Preparing myself for battle. None of the officers stopped me.

Because it didn't matter anymore.

Nothing did.