It was still raining when I arrived at home. The gutters were overflowing, puddles pooling in the grass of my backyard. The window to my room was still shattered from the altercation weeks earlier, and we easily flew in.

I let go of Thea, “Thanks,” she said. “Come on.” She led the way through the quiet halls, turning on the lights and walking to the end, stopping at the door to what I assumed was Ecto’s office. Even with the hallway lit, light emanated through the door. Just what was inside?

“Don’t let your guard down,” said Vespa.

“I know, I know.”

“Well?” said Thea, “Do you want to go in?” Her hand was already turning the handle and opening the door.

This was the only room that had changed substantially from what it had been before. It used to be dad’s office, back when we was... here. The thought stung less than it had weeks earlier. He had been working from home as an IT consultant. His desk and computer were the best-preserved aspects of the office, still present, if... changed.

The room was white. No. Bright. Thea’s echoes didn’t seem to mind, black, their smouldering forms contrasting so much with the room’s brilliance. The walls were sleek and reflective, the chairs were white, the shelves and decorations all cleared and replaced with more monitors and displays that showed what seemed to be live video footage of the whole city and surrounding areas. Each screen was subdivided into twenty or more feeds, a dizzying array of

“I thought it would be more...”

“Black?” asked Thea. “Yeah, I mean... Ecto has a particular affinity for the colour white, you know. But even so, don’t misunderstand. The Echoes are black. Creatures of the earth. But as demons, our home... is not earth. Well, originally, at least. But we like bright spaces. Unlike the angels, we can stand in the light.” She walked up to the desk and started typing away at the computer, quickly getting past the lock screen and loading up the desktop.

“How did you get in?”

“It’s not biologically locked. And just like humans, demons are really bad at coming up with passwords.” Thea winked. “Come here.”

“Quinn...”

“What is it, Vespa?” I hurried to Thea’s side. So many files, pictures, videos. Thea clicked through the folders and files, searching for... something. “What are you looking for?” I asked.

“I’m finding the... where is it, again... here?” She clicked something, and the screen filled with overlapping patterns and colours that ebbed and flowed with a hypnotic rhythm. “There it is. Okay, look carefully, Quinn. Focus on the colours. It’s calibrating.”

“Quinn!” said Vespa.

“What?” My eyes were drawn to the lights, watching them crystallize into... not quite a picture, but a projection. Light. So bright. A brilliant sky full of stars and comets, and, in the centre, a city? Something like a city. “This is it?”

“It’s paradise,” Thea whispered into my ear. “Live video feed of what is prepared for you.”

I couldn’t look away. It rose up above the planet, growing ever-brighter. The city streets went into focus, trees and streets and people and—

“Thank you, Thea.” Who? No. A hand on my shoulder, skin purple and blistered. A dark suit. Ecto? “Excellent work, really.” Vespa was trapped inside a glass jar, which he set on the table, just out of reach.

“Thea?” Of course. I wanted to know more. But maybe I should’ve been a little more careful while I was at it.

“What are you saying, Ecto? I didn’t plan this. Quinn, you have to believe me. I thought he was gone.”

“Aw, still trying to keep yourself in her good graces, Thea? You’re so devious. I’d expect nothing less.” A stream of pigeons flew in through the open door, darkening the room with black feathers that stuck like tar to the walls and floors. “I thought you’d be happier that we can proceed, Thea.”

“We don’t need to fight anyone. They’re going to come here and—”

He laughed. “You’re being much too optimistic, Thea. Maybe you should go back to that child’s body. It suits you better. Child.” His grip was iron, painfully bunching all four of my arms together behind my back and tying them together.

“I swear, I had no part in this Quinn.”

“Then let me free.”

She did nothing. Ecto laughed. “What a cruel demon you are, Thea. Even though you say you want to cause no harm. You really enjoy tormenting them, don’t you? Letting them trust you before ripping it all away from them. See, Quinn, she enjoys tormenting angels.”

“That’s not true.”

“Why, I think after the plan is complete, she’ll want you all to herself.”

“That’s not true!”

“And yet you still do nothing. You may be a defective, bizarre, demon, but you’re a demon nonetheless. Not a total embarrassment.”

“I just don’t want to hurt anyone. Not you. Not the angels. I...” Then, as if sensing something, Thea turned and ran out the room and down the hall.

“What are you going to do to me?” I asked.

“Do to you?” Ecto asked. “Nothing. I should really be thanking you. The angels are off searching for me way out on the seashore. Distracted my my little messenger, here.” The Echo on his shoulder nuzzled his neck. “You are just going to watch as the plan comes to fruition. The people here will be liberated cleanly. As for the angels... I think I’ll enjoy watching them fall apart, one by one, piece by piece.”

He turned the chair back to face towards the screen. All I could do was wait.