The tower rose high over his head, stretching above the clouds and seeming to touch the stars, and the rain poured down in thick sheets that made it difficult to breathe. Nick grew aware first of an awful rumbling beneath his feet, a shaking that cut through his bones and blurred his vision. Slowly, rising from the base of the tower, a crackling, fizzing, shifting cobweb of purple energy appeared, sparking and jumping across the black surface. The vibration became a sound, a low rumbling that was still more felt then heard, and the purple light grew in intensity, separate arcs coalescing together until the bottom of the tower was one bright, flashing coruscation of energy. He tried to shout, tried to scream to the others, Triss visible running towards him from an opening in the base of the tower, the others still somewhere inside. The sound swiftly increased in pitch, rising as the purple energy rose up the tower, until it was almost too high to hear, a background noise to the smashing, crashing sounds of pieces of the tower falling off and smacking to the floor below. Too late... thought Nick, and as he did so, the energy wrapping around the tower flared until it was bright white, pouring out into the heavens in a vivid pillar of flame that turned the night into day and forced the rain-clouds aside. Turning around in place, Nick saw pillars of light flare in directions all around him, the other towers adding their energies to the first. The beauty of it overwhelmed him, for the light was pure and clean like nothing he had ever seen, covering the world in a whiteness crisper than the freshest snow. Coming to his senses, he once more turned to the original tower, where Triss was still running towards him, hands outstretched. The light behind her was now blinding, framing her in a silhouette that seemed to be slowed down in time as the expanding cylinder of energy advanced. Nick screamed as he saw her torn apart, her very molecules being driven asunder and dragged upwards, flowing along with the energy, and his scream was only cut short when the light took him, too.

Nick shot up, clutching his chest and breathing heavily. The light streaming in from the window was soft, a welcome reminder that it had all been just a dream. Wiping the sweat off his temple, he swung his legs over to the floor and stood, stretching. Not a dream, a warning, he thought to himself.

"What was a warning?"

Nick looked up in surprise, unaware he had spoken out loud. Shade was standing there holding the fridge door open and peering inside.

"Not much left here. Guess we'll need to go shopping, once this is all over..." Shade chuckled in a way that put Nick on edge. Nick looked at his bloodshot eyes, black rings surrounding them, and his unhealthily pale skin.

"Have you been sleeping at all?" he asked, as Shade began preparing a cup of coffee.

"Not much. I'm on edge. Everyone's on edge. Today is the day we put our lives on the line, the day we roll the dice. I would be surprised if any of us felt even slightly fresh or rested."

The tail-end of his speech was cut off by their realisation that someone was indeed feeling good. A whistled tune came down the stairs and into the kitchen, followed in due time by a smiling Smoke, taking small, dance-like steps, reversing occasionally and even doing one or two full spins. Shade and Nick stopped and stared at this strange sight, Shade's coffee almost but not quite to his mouth, as Smoke, quite oblivious to their presence, danced his way to the fridge, opened it, grabbed a carton of milk, and proceeded to down the whole thing in a few giant gulps. Turning, wiping his lips with the back of his arm, he leaned back against the counter and only then seemed to notice them.

"Morning, guys!" he beamed. "And how are you both today? Ready for this? We're gonna kick some ass!" he said, punching the air in front of him to emphasise his point. The others stared at him, speechless, for a few seconds, and then Nick turned to Shade.

"Yeah, I see what you mean..."

They did not set out until several hours later, spending the intervening time discussing potential plans and problems, until they came to the conclusion that, in essence, they were going to have to wing it. So now as they drove Smoke floated above them, scanning the area ahead with his senses for anything out of the ordinary. They were all well aware that Smoke didn't have the best perception in his vapour form, but it was definitely better than having FX take to the air. He was much better at holding a narrowly-focused beam of sound than he had ever been before, but they had agreed it was still too much of a chance to risk alerting anyone who should be caught under it, or who just happened to glance up at the wrong time and spot him.

They moved slowly, divided into two groups in a couple of cars they had "acquired" from elsewhere[1], but they needn't have worried; the streets were completely deserted, nothing moving save the occasional feral cat or dog that ran quickly into the twilight shadows. The moon hung overhead, but its light was watery and wan in the rain that poured down upon them. Smoke would warn them at every sign of a sphere, and guide them on a detour to avoid their patrols.

"I swear," said Shade, staring out the window over the steering wheel, struggling to see through the smears left by each swing of the wipers, "we are becoming positively crepuscular."

FX, sitting in the passenger's seat, clicked his tongue in annoyance and turned from looking out the side-window.

"What the hell did you just call me?" he growled. The two had found themselves riding in the same car as neither was willing to allow the other to drive alone with Kala, and the atmosphere was tense.

"What? Nothing... Crepuscular," said Shade, aware he had angered FX, "It means to be active primarily at twilight. Like moths, or rats."

"I'm not a fucking bug, alright?" snarled FX, if anything more angrily.

"What? No! I'm saying we only move around at dusk. Animals do it to avoid predators."

"Kind of like us right now, eh? Hiding from predators. While heading right for the lion's den..."

Suddenly Kala spoke up from the back seat, and both men paused in their bickering.

"What was the word? I liked it," she asked.

"Crepuscular," replied Shade. They both paused to listen as Kala repeated the word under her breath, taking her time over every syllable and rolling the word out like syrup.

"Yeah. Yeah, ok. 'Crepuscular.' Neat," said FX, tone low. He looked at Shade, who turned to look at him for a second before returning to the road.

"Jesus Christ," muttered FX, "I really need a vacation..."

They gathered together around a different part of the tower from where they had entered the first time. Shade had searched the usual haunts for Ollie in the intervening weeks, but found no sign of him, so the previous method of entry was out. Instead, they'd come up with an idea that made Triss and Shade nervous, while FX was bouncing from toe to toe eagerly. "Are we ready?" he asked, looking towards Kala, but it was Shade who replied.

"Everyone remembers what we discussed, right? Listen to Kala's advice - stay calm, relax, and do not let go of each other." Kala looked at each of the group members in turn.

"This will be easy so long as you relax," she said. "Just remember, the more you panic, the more you will lose control. Think of it like swimming - you'll be fine so long as you keep it together."

"Yeah yeah yeah, I'll go first," said FX, pushing passed Nick to stand in front of her.

"I know this is quieter than your usual method of flight," she said directly to him, "but do not, I repeat do not, try to use your powers whilst under the effect of mine. I have no idea how far you'd go if you tried. Wait for me to stop the effects before trying anything, ok?"

At FX's casual gesture of acknowledgement, she added "I'm serious," then reached up and touched him on the arm.

The group watched as FX's feet slowly lifted off the ground, rising almost imperceptibly. Looking down at the ground below him, he laughed, and looked around at the group.

"This is crazy!" he said, the miniscule current of his voice providing a small amount of push, sending him slowly back and to the side.

"Woah!" he cried, and flung his arms out as if trying to steady himself. Instead, the movement caused his body to move in such a way that he found himself falling slowly sideways, spinning back and leftwards until his head was lower than his feet.

"Uh, somebody? A little help?" he asked, as the rest of the group alternately covered their mouths or looked away to stifle their laughter.

Kala sighed, stepped over to where he had drifted and righted him, placing his hand onto the gutter of a nearby building.

"Do not let go, ok?" she ordered, then turned to the rest. Triss was next, Kala touching her lightly on the elbow and then moving her to a nearby covered doorway, leaving her to grasp the handle for stability. Nick went next, unusually stable[2] then Richter, and finally Shade.

Shade being last, Kala continued to hold him by the arm as she turned to face the others, strewn around the building facade facing the tower.

"So now," she explained, "each of you will grab the hands of the next person and keep holding them."

Her voice had taken on a tone of authority that spoke of many years of keeping adults and children on a tight leash backstage at her show[3]. Dragging Shade behind, she went up to Richter and passed his hand into Shade's. Next was Nick, then Triss, and finally FX. Kala herself then took FX's free hand and pulled the group into the middle of the space between the offices and tower.

Smoke looked amusedly at the scene. Kala remained firmly planted to the ground, with the rest of the group trailing from her and gently drifting upwards. Shade, at the end of the line, was a good 6 or 7 feet above the road, swaying in the light breeze that ran around the tower. It looked nothing as much as an image of a girl holding a balloon by a string, and the incongruity of it all made Smoke laugh quietly. But obviously not quietly enough, because Nick shot him a look and said "Well, this is all fun and whatever, but it's raining, it's cold, and we've got a world to save."

Kala looked at Smoke, who nodded and slowly became greyer and more transparent as he vaporised. Kala took hold of a signpost and spoke as he drifted up towards Shade.

"You just need to get us to an open area of tower," she called up. "I'm going to limit my own gravity to just a few percent of what we normally feel, Smoke. See if you can move Shade like that, please."

Smoke, a barely humanoid form, held out a hand towards Shade, who made to take it in his own, but instead of taking a hold his hand passed right through. Smoke increased the density of his form as much as he felt comfortable doing - anymore would disturb his mobility - and they tried again. This time Shade found he had a purchase. It was weak, softer than cotton, but it was there.

"Ready," he said. Smoke willed himself to flow slowly upwards in the way he normally did, but when he looked back to check on the others he was shocked to see his arm attenuating, a misty trail leading back to Shade like a cable. Flowing back closer to Shade, he tried once again, but with the same result.

"Can you try to make yourself a bit lighter, Kala?" Shade called down. Kala nodded, and then... nothing happened? "Did you do it?" asked Shade.

"It's done - any lighter and the wind's going to take us all away!" she yelled.

It was true, the wind had picked up since they had arrived, and the weird cable of floating figures, like a child's origami chain of paper men, was swinging in the breeze. Shade once again took Smoke by his ethereal arm, and this time there was a noticeable movement in the chain. At the same time, however, a gust of wind blew up and suddenly the entire group was carried by the air and slammed into the wall. They instantly found themselves crashing to the ground on top of each others, back to normal weight.

It took a minute or so for the group to gather their wits, dragging themselves off the impromptu human mountain they had formed. Smoke had flowed down and reconstituted, and they once again stood in a circle.

"Well, a great start," said FX, "What the hell happened?" he said, looking at Kala.

"I had to get you all back to the ground before I lost hold of you!" she said, tone high. "If one of you had broken the chain, we'd have been chasing you all over the city! I have to be in contact with objects to cancel the effect of what I do." Her voice became more composed as she spoke.

"Well, that was a great plan," said Richter, sitting down on the step of an office slightly away from the group. "We look like a bunch of bouffons."

He clicked his fingers towards Smoke, who was lighting up a cigarette. At first not realising his intent, Smoke looked around, puzzled, and Richter clicked his fingers again, pointing to Smoke's pocket. Smoke reached in to his pocket, pulled out his pack and passed him one, sitting down on the narrow step next to him and sighing out a cloud of nicotine.

"Yeah, that was not the greatest start," he said dejectedly. They sat in silence, smoking, as the rest of the group watched them, also silent. There was only the sound of the rain beating down on the street for some time.

After a while, Triss turned to Nick. "You could have at least told us we were wasting our time," she said reproachfully. Nick shook his head and smiled.

"And miss that? It was hilarious!" he said, then became more serious. "I can't tell you all the failures we're going to suffer, you know that. Besides, that was hardly a disaster, just pretty embarrassing..." he trailed off at Shade's laughter.

"Embarrassing! We looked like a circus act!" Shade's laughter was contagious, and soon the rest of the group were chuckling too.

As they laughed there was even a let up in the rain, becoming a slight drizzle, and the wind abated. High above them, a gap in the clouds revealed the stars.

"So," said Smoke, standing up and clapping his hands together, "plan B?"

They nodded in unison.

The storage crates at the base of the tower hadn't seen movement for months. A thin layer of dust lay over the pipes and cables running down the dark, narrow corridor, and only the clanks and whirs of unidentifiable machinery disturbed the calm within. The black, smooth walls... imploded at the blast of sound, the outer wall fracturing then splintering in, ripping into the inner walls, which bent inwards at the weight of the shockwave. As the dust began to settle, FX walked in the breach, dusting his hands off and looking very satisfied.

"Well, they definitely know we're coming now," he said.

Outside, the others were taking their hands from over their ears and heading towards the hole. It was Kala who spoke first.

"IS IT CLEAR?" she yelled, causing FX to fall back and out of the gap, startled.

"Jesus Christ, they must have heard us but you don't need to make it easier for them!"

"SOR... sorry," she replied. "My ears are still ringing."

"You're telling me," said Smoke, walking up behind with his head tipped to the side, hand massaging his right ear as if he had water trapped in there. "I'm not sure my ears are ever going to work right again."

The rest of the group having now got back together, Nick wandering over last, having known how far to go to get away from the blast from both his past and future memories, they stepped warily over the twisted edges of the blast hole and into the tower.

"Here we go again," said Triss.

They moved slowly and carefully down the hallway for a few seconds before FX suddenly spoke, loud enough to make the others jump.

"Wait a minute, we just sent a blast that must have rung this tower like a bell. Why the hell are we being quiet?"

He rose from the stealthy crouching position they had adopted and began to walk nonchalantly down the corridor. He paused when he heard Shade start speaking.

"Because," said Shade, "that sound was so loud they must know at least generally where we're coming from, but they may not know where we are going to. Also, and perhaps more importantly," he continued, "the men coming to search for us will be armed with both tasers and rifles, rifles that can tear over half this group to shreds. So, Eric, if you don't want your teammates to die from a case of severe lead poisoning, I suggest you quiet down so that we can hear them before they hear us..."

FX resumed the original, much quieter method of walking, though the angry muttering under his breath about "Eric" lessened the utility of stealth somewhat.

The first encounter came about 5 minutes after they entered the tower. Holding his hand up to stop the groups advance, FX shushed them[4] and tapped his ears. Having stopped all movement, the sound of the police radio transceiver was clear. FX mouthed something that the group didn't understand at first, then, pointing both thumbs at himself, he mouthed it again. Leave it to me... Leaving the group standing there, he disappeared around the bend, and then there was only the sounds of footsteps coming closer and closer.

Just when it felt like the footsteps were right on top of them, that at any moment their source would come in to view, rifles raised, they stopped. A muffled "oof" was followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the floor, and then a shout was cut off almost as soon as it started. A second thud. The group turned to each other, Triss raising her eyebrows in question. Smoke shrugged back, and they began to inch forward.

Whistling cheerily, FX came around the bend repeatedly tossing up and catching a wrench in his hand. Laughing to himself, his gaze left the wrench and he looked up towards the others as they slowly stood up.

"I can do quiet too, see?"

"Where the hell did you get that?" hissed Shade.

"From the house. Well, it was lying around, and I thought: the more weapons the better, right?"

"So you just... knocked them out?" asked an uncertain Nick.

"Well, I think the second one's just unconscious. I didn't have time for finesse - he almost got his gun out before I clocked him."

"You brought a wrench?" Triss said in shock.

"Hey hey, yeah, I did. And it worked out, didn't it? No need to..."

Triss interrupted him. "Do you have another?" FX grinned and handed her a dead-blow hammer[5].

"I figured this would come in handy too."

Triss took it off him and held it loosely in her right hand.

"Well then," said Shade, "now that's done, I think we should continue on in the quiet manner FX has demonstrated so well."

"Hey hey," interrupted FX, "Where's the gratitude?" He held out his arms in a gesture of injured pride. "No thanks? I took out two guards like that and not a single other person hears? I'd say I'm owed a little..."

His wounded diatribe was broken as a bullet ricocheted on the wall behind him, followed by several other shots. Diving forward, FX flung his hands out backwards and sent a shockwave of unmelodic noise up the corridor, sending the cables around them twitching and coiling, some breaking and sparking as they trailed along the floor. The group ran quickly back down the corridor, Smoke grabbing FX by the collar and dragging him along, until they came to a stop a while around the bend. Panting heavily, they leaned alternately against the wall or supported themselves with their hands on their legs. Smoke put his finger to his lips, pointed down the corridor, and quickly evaporated, thinning out as much as he could in the narrow space and flowing back towards the source of the shots.

He returned a minute or two later.

"There's two guys lying unconscious just up from where we were, and a third a little further up." He looked at FX. "Eric, I guess I need to tell you. The third guy is dead."

"Dead? You serious? What the... Shit..."

"Are you sure?" asked Richter, "That didn't seem that loud to me."

"The blood leaking out of his ears makes it kind of obvious," Smoke replied. "FX's sound-waves are highly directed. We were behind him, and still got that much blowback. I can't even guess how loud that must have been up front."

FX let out a long breath. "I just kind of... reacted, you know. I didn't have time to think about it."

He stood up straighter.

"Anyway, it's not like this is the first, is it? I mean, I blew up the police headquarters’, for god's sake. And the first time we escaped here I blew a hole in the wall with attackers all around me. I'm sure... It's not the first time, is what I'm saying."

Kala stepped towards him and put her hand on his arm. "Are you sure..?"

"I'm fine!" snapped FX, shrugging off Kala's hand roughly and storming ahead. "Come on, we've gotta go."

Kala looked worriedly at his retreating back, then at Triss, who just shrugged. They followed after him.

They progressed up the tower in silence, FX marching ahead, hardly taking any notice of his footsteps. Smoke caught up to him after a few minutes.

"You ok?" he asked. FX made a derisive sound.

"Ok? Yeah, I'm great. This is all just great."

"Look, I know how you feel, but..." He broke off his sentence as FX spun around on him, a furious expression on his face.

"You know how I feel? You know how I feel?" FX seemed to grow taller with every syllable, until Smoke, not himself a small guy, took a step back from the sheer intensity of his anger.

"I didn't mean..."

"No, shut the fuck up, alright? You all came up with this goddamned plan and you know what? You fucking know what? You never asked me!" His fists clenched and unclenched. "That fucking smart-ass bastard back there..." he gestured towards Shade, "...is all 'FX, you'll provide cover, FX, you'll need to take out any guards.' Do you know what you're asking? How many of you have ever killed?" He span around and glared at the group, who stood mute. "Come on, tell me. In all this shit, in all this fucking madness, how many of you have killed someone?"

There was only silence, as the others looked at their feet. "I fucking thought so. So why do you think you have the right..."

"I killed."

FX was thrown, his words choking in his mouth as his fury turned to shock. He looked at Shade.

"What did you say?" he asked, quieter.

"I killed. I have killed." Shade was looking down at the floor, but his voice was clear.

"You? When? What are you..?"

"You think this is a game? You think this world is going to go back to normal once this is over? No, it isn't, because it's already collapsed. We've already done things we cannot take back."

Smoke walked up to Shade. "What are you talking about?"

"The world out there is not the one it was before. The people out there are not as... as... civilised as before."

"What did you do, Shade?"

"What I had to." He looked directly up at FX. "I told you, didn't I? That I went and talked to the dying in the gutters..."

"Yeah, you did," FX's tone was flat.

"Well, I'm not able to fly. I can't turn into liquid or gas. I can't blast people with sound or float away. So when I'm attacked, I can only do one thing. I blind them..." he paused, taking an unsteady breath and looking down again, "...and cut their throats."

"Jeeeesus..." said Triss, almost but not quite under her breath.

"Lou knew about this?" asked Smoke.

"Yes, he was with me the first time it happened. This guy, he wouldn't back down. He attacked us one day, I closed off his senses, and we ran. But the next day he found us, returning on the same route. We were stupid. He had a knife to Lou's throat before we knew what was happening. I blinded him, but he was ready and knew he could still kill Lou before I got to him. He tried to make me tell him where our house was, where... where women were, so I altered the direction of my voice so he thought I was still in front of him, took Lou's gun and blew his brains out." There was a silence.

"You did what you had to do," said Kala.

"There's more," he continued. "These people, they don't care about society, about law and order; it's a fucking free-for-all out there." Smoke was surprised by the vehemence in Shade's voice. "They came for us. For my friends." he was breathing heavily now, angry. "They came for us. So I dealt with them."

"Dealt with them?"

"They came at night, a few months back. Three of them. They broke in through the back window, I didn't hear them until almost too late. They were outside Triss' room..."

Triss gasped lightly.

"They had guns, and knives, and... other things. So I killed them."

There was a pregnant silence, filled only with the soft hum of the tower. "And, once, I found the children. There are children out there, alone, and there are people who use those children... But I won't tell that story." He looked up. "So, yes, Eric, in answer to your question, some of us have killed. And we're probably going to kill more. The people we are up against locked Triss to a table and experimented on her. They allow their fellow humans to be enslaved, then thrown away like garbage. They are guilty, and the guilty will... have... their... punishment." Shade's green eyes flared in the gloom.

It was Richter who broke the mood, abruptly speaking from where he sat at leisure against the wall a few metres back.

"I don't know what all the fuss is about," he said, standing up. "I 'ave killed many people. They come at me, I come at them. C'est fini. Let's get going, shall we?"

They moved on.

They climbed for the next half hour without event, barely speaking except to make choices in direction when they came to areas with multiple branches. The background hum of the tower was louder than the last time they had been there, punctuated by occasional rumbles that came from all around them. Occasionally, the dull light would pulse suddenly brighter, and a high pitched whine would grow in intensity, increasing in strength until abruptly cutting off.

"It's the energy pulses," Shade said. "They're coming in greater frequency than we've ever seen. We don't have much time."

"I don't understand," said Kala, further back. "They know we're here. Why aren't they coming for us?"

"I don't know," replied Shade, "But we shouldn't let our guard down. The lack of resistance here probably means they're waiting for us higher up, conserving their strength." The rest of the group said nothing.

Richter by now was marching well ahead of the group, unhesitating when he rounded bends. Still, he was taking pains to hide any sound that might give them away down. He had found a steel bar somewhere in the piles of equipment they frequently passed, and he carried it over his shoulder like a baseball bat. The others too had taken a leaf from FX's book, equipping themselves with a variety of tools.

"Should have brought guns..." said Smoke.

"Couldn't find any," replied Shade. "Lou and I looked. Most gun shops closed after the new government put in those restrictions, and besides, the spheres made sure to destroy most of the remainder early in the invasion."

"Well, we should have taken them off those guards back there."

"Then you can take them off the next lot we meet." This was FX, voice still strained and tense. Smoke nodded.

They stopped abruptly when Richter made a hand signal, waving his arm towards the floor and beckoning them closer, other hand to his lips to signal the need for quiet. FX and Smoke were the first to him.

"What is it?" whispered Smoke.

"Can you hear it?" asked Richter.

They listened, and there was definitely sound coming from up ahead. The sound was industrial, the grinding of metal on metal, hammering and scraping. It certainly didn't sound like a police ambush, but they pulled back a little way down the corridor before gathering together. Shade turned to Smoke, and Smoke nodded in understanding. He was already half transformed before Triss spoke.

"Stop," she said, in a strong whisper. "I'm going this time." The group looked at her in surprise.

"Why?" asked Smoke. "There's no need. Anyway, I'm far less visible than you."

"In this light?" she replied. "You don't always have to go first, Smoke. We're all in this."

She caught his concerned look, and continued.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to go far. I'll just go around the bend until I can make out what's going on up ahead, then I'll come back. Ok?"

She didn't wait for a response before beginning to silver and flow down. Her last comment hung in the air as she melted away.

"Besides, I've seen you naked enough today..."

She moved away.

Triss hadn't returned a couple of minutes later. The group sat in a mean circle, Shade facing out and looking down the corridor[6].

"So, you and Triss finally... Had a good night last night, eh?" said FX, taking Smoke by surprise.

Richter turned to face them.

"Oh really?" he said, grinning in a way that made Smoke a little uncomfortable. He was glad it was dark so they couldn't see his reddening cheeks. "A good way to spend the night before the end of the world, eh?"

Richter actually nudged him! Smoke was beginning to think he'd never be able to relax around this man.

"Nothing happened," said Smoke, dreading what Triss would do to him if she found out he'd been having this sort of conversation.

"Nothing happened?" said FX, as Kala and Nick both laughed out loud.

"I mean it! What's with you guys?" said Smoke, a little plaintively, sending the rest of the group into further laughter.

"You don't know, do you?" asked FX, confusing Smoke.

"Know what?"

"On your back?" Smoke tried to twist his head around to look over his shoulder, feeling foolish as soon as he did it.

"What about my back?" he asked.

FX grinned.

"We keep seeing it when you rematerialise, mate."

"Oh shit, are there scratches?" Smoke said, reaching behind his back and feeling the marks left there.

"Scratches? Mate, she left her name there!" said FX, and even Shade laughed out loud at this.

Their grins faded when Triss came back around the corner, face dour.

"You need to see this," she said. "Come on, it's safe."

She turned around, and without waiting for them walked back the way she had come. Looking at each other, the group stood up and followed.

They soon came to another cavernous hall, stacked chaotically with crates and cables, in stark contrast to the orderliness of the previous areas. Smoke almost walked into the back of Shade when he stopped abruptly, with the sound of a shocked indrawn breath.

"What is it?" asked Smoke. Shade didn't reply, so Smoke stepped around him, and halted in horror.

The area was a hive of activity, people carrying cables, crates, or working to some mysterious purpose on the walls, welding and connecting pipes and machinery. Some of the workers turned and looked at the group, then turned wearily back to their work, barely registering any emotion. It was the state of the people, however, that had so frozen the group. Each individual was emaciated, clothing hanging raggedly over bodies that were almost wholly skin and bone, muscle mass practically gone. Several had distended stomachs, and all moved with a slow, exhausted manner that spoke of despair.

"What the fuck is this?" said FX, stepping up next to Smoke. "They look like concentration camp victims."

Indeed they do, thought Smoke.

With hollowed out eyes and caved in cheeks, they stared blankly as they carried out their tasks. As the group watched, a skeletal woman carrying a crate staggered and tripped, the contents of the crate spilling out strange criss-crossed boards that looked like circuitry. Struggling to her feet, the woman began picking them up and painfully replacing them into the box. Richter quickly crossed to join her, and began helping to collect the spilled goods. Once all was finished, the woman made to pick up the crate and resume her work, but Richter took her by the shoulder.

"Why?" he asked her, "You must stop!"

She looked at him, body involuntarily shaking from hunger and fatigue.

"My son..." she whispered, and stepped away.

With a barely audible "Thank you," she disappeared further through the room and into a corridor heading upwards.

Watching this scene, FX jumped when a hand suddenly pressed itself to his shoulder. Spinning swiftly around, he found himself face to face with a man. The man had the same hollowed-out eyes and sunken skin as the others, and FX had no way to tell his age - he looked old, older by far than FX, but how much of this was due to his years and how much to the suffering he had endured FX had no way of knowing. Still, the man's eyes were bright, brighter at least than the others in this hall, and his body still possessed a sinewy, wiry form that spoke of the strength he must have had before.

"We will all be dead before long," he said to FX as if continuing a conversation they had been having. "They push us harder than ever, now it is nearing completion. And then, when it's done, there will be no need for us." Shade came up to them.

"What is going on here? Who are you? I... know you from somewhere, don't I?"

"Maybe if I kick your head in again..." the man wheezed and coughed, continuing, "...you'll remember." A half smile almost formed on his cracked lips.

"Holy shit..." breathed FX. ”You're one of them, aren't you? One of the bastards that beat the shit out of me and Shade. You're a cop!" Shade took a step back as recognition came to him too. "How did you end up in here?"

Their former torturer let out a coughing laugh.

"Ha, they used us like they used everyone, and then... The timetable was stepped up, he said. Needed 'volunteers.' Half the department was sent here first, then one by one the rest of us. What we got for our loyalty..." he trailed off.

"That explains the lack of resistance, then," said Shade. "They didn't have enough people to finish the tower on time, so used their enforcers too."

"Not all of them," the man continued. "That bastard Reanes is still up there, and his military goons. They're based around the core of the tower, waiting for you. They've got gas, guns, grenades, and damn rocket launchers, all waiting for you." The effort of speaking had clearly exhausted him, and he half-sat, half-fell down.

"But why are you working so hard? Why not resist? You didn't have any problem betraying your own species, why not fight them as well?" FX insisted.

"You think... we wanted to work for them? Are you fucking stupid?"

The man took a deep breath.

"Whose families do you think they took first? Whose kids were taken to these towers as soon as the spheres took control?"

He looked at FX's lost expression.

"Ours, you idiot. You think police are just power-hungry freaks who get their kicks from beating up civilians? Well..," he continued, "there are some like that, and now they're up there with Reanes sitting around and waiting to blow you away, but the rest of us were doing it for our families. You have kids?" he asked, looking around at the others, seeing no response. "Well, you have a child, then you can tell me there's anything you wouldn't do for them, but until then, you can't say anything to me. Not a damned word."

His gaze returned to the ground. "We didn't know, you know. They didn't let us near the towers, not most of us. You know what they do here, to someone who has kids, or gives birth here? Oh, it happens..." he added, at the groups expressions, "...it happens. And when the child is born, they take it. The best workers, they are, the parents. They'll do anything for their kids. Even sell-out members of their own group when they aren't working hard enough. They barely need guards anymore - they just police themselves."

"This is sick," said Kala, hand to her mouth and tears in her eyes. The man on the ground snorted contemptuously.

"But you can get them, you know. They know it too. This guy..." he gestured towards FX, "They can't do anything about this guy. They were trying all kinds of dumb things, too. Trying to soundproof an entire person - it was ridiculous! Couldn't do it. And the rest of you..." he gestured around the group, "...you don't even know the half of what you're capable of. Even I could tell that much. You know why we took you in?"

"I figured it out a while ago," said Shade, to looks of surprise from the others. "It was to makes us into swords, Alden said. We were never meant to be captured permanently. He wanted to see us get away."

"Alden? So that's the name of whoever's in charge, is it? Doesn't sound alien to me, but whatever. Yeah, it was pretty clear, even to us grunts. They were setting us up for a fall, told us to keep pushing you and pushing; even we knew you were gonna snap. Reanes seemed disappointed you only blew up half the precinct. I think he was upset you didn't kill anyone." Smoke looked at FX, who reacted almost imperceptibly to the news, a brief moment of relief overtaken by memories of the bodies down the corridor.

"Kill the son of a bitch."

The man's eyes met FX's.

"Kill him straight away. Don't let him talk to you, don't give him a second. He's one of you."

"One of us?" asked Shade, as the others reacted with surprise. "An Advanced?"

"Yeah..." the man coughed again. "Calls himself 'Chosen.' The ones that are still with him, he said they could be chosen too. Mean sons of bitches, they are. I don't know what he can do, but trust me, in the beginning a few of the higher-ups tried to take him on, and we didn't even need body bags for them."

This time the cough was followed by blood, which spattered onto the ground in front of him.

"How much do they feed you, here?" Shade asked, staring at the blood.

"Except the ones in confinement, enough, " the man replied. "We shouldn't be like this, anyway. We eat enough to not waste away, but we still are. Eventually, though, people just stop eating. They make us throw them down to the gutters."

"Radiation," said Shade, standing back and looking to the others.

"That's what we think. It fits. More and more succumb every day. It's the purple stuff that shoots up the towers, they say. Even the few people who arrive these days get sick within a few shifts." The man stood up. "My kid is very sick. He'll join his mother soon, I know it." Walking away, his voice came back to them, weak and haunted. "That's why no-one here is pleased to see you - they know they're already dead." His voice faded as he staggered off. "Get the bastards that did this. Get every last one. Make them pay."

[1] FX again

[2] Which he explained was because "he remembered doing this before”

[3] The horrific financial liability for losing someone's child through an open window had kept the studio's lawyers awake in the middle of the night the entire duration of her show's run

[4] Much to Shade's annoyance

[5] One of those rubber mallets often used in woodwork, if you need the image.

[6] However, he wasn't too tense. He had noticed that shortly before anything happened, Nick would get anxious and jumpy, his mood clear in his facial expressions. Shade wasn't sure how much of a problem noticing this could cause to Nick's predictions, but it was impossible not to now. Shade had begun to think of him, in the privacy of his thoughts, as his canary.