“Wait, wait wait.” Amon carried the twin still attached to him over to hand him to Cerberos. The big builder simply dropped the archer unceremoniously. “Wait. Valefor. Our Valefor. Val. Was in that metal monkey suit and he did. He did this to you?” Amon grabbed Caim’s wrist to show the clockwork that had replaced his arm. “I clocked him all the way to Queens. I should have beat his block to stacking Mars.”

Caim gently pulled his arm back and tugged the sleeve back down. A murmur rippled through the room, and Ruby watched the daemons share looks of worry.

“That wasn’t him. That couldn’t have been him.” One of the twins said.

“He wasn’t himself. That’s why he took you out first, Amon,” Grendel rasped. “Even recased, Val knew he couldn’t beat you in a head-on confrontation. Immovable object, irresistible force, immeasurable stupid.”

“But you weren’t even there,” Ruby blurted out, and immediately regretted it when the swordsman turned his blindfolded gaze back to her.

“Everything has a history, Ruby Jones.” He was hardly the largest out of the jewelry box of beings standing in her tiny apartment, but she felt smaller in front of him than even Cerberos. He took her hand in his dark-gloved one, and something deep and ancient ghosted past her, raising the hair on her arms. Beside her, Alice shivered. “Everything but you, it seems.”

“What?” Ruby started, but thunder- low and twisted by the softly ringing barrier her apartment was encased in – rumbled against the building. The daemons fell silent, and she looked at at Yusuf and then at Alice, both of them shaking their heads.

The floor trembled beneath their feet. “This is New York, we don’t get earthquakes here,” Ruby said.

“It’s not an earthquake.” Caim said briskly as the others came to attention. “Fenix, can you fold us somewhere else for this fight?”

[I’ve been back in the Real for five minutes, so, no,] Fenix signed, rolling his eyes. [Best I can do is evacuate the block.]

“Do it,” Caim said. “Amon, we’re going to need a perimeter.”

[FETCH.] Fenix said and the air jolted around them with static electricity. He was out of focus, half-visible duplicates flickering in and out of existence around him.

[Next time anyone complains about me, I’m going to remind them I just moved an eighty-gallon aquarium and a bunch of tropical fish for one very surprised old lady] he signed, eyes closed, ending the sentence with a rude gesture.

Caim’s demeanour had changed completely, his shoulders square and his face grim. In the kitchenette, Cerb gently led Yusuf to the door. “You have a family,” he said, shoving a stray lock of patina-copper hair out of his face. “Go home. You definitely shouldn’t be here for this.”

“Miss Alice, you should go too.” Berith wove through the others in her direction.

“I feel like I shouldn’t…” Yusuf started. “I mean, not like this?”

Caim smiled, just for a moment. “You and Farah have stories to tell.”

“And what about me?” Ruby asked as Alice tried to swat off Berith’s hand on her arm.

“I’m sorry to say, this is your fight too, Author.” Caim’s smile faded.

“Then I’m staying too. This day has been super screwed up and I feel sorta compelled to see this through.” Alice said. She yelled as Berith scooped her up and carried her to the door. “Hey! Science Guy! Put me the fuck down!”

“Can you fight one of us barehanded, Miss Alice?” Berith asked, scowling.

“I will beat your ass till the candy comes out, you fucking pokemon,” she smacked at him as he carried her out.

“I can take you home,” Yusuf said apologetically as he and Cerb followed them..

“Ok, put me down, Bill Nye. Ruby!” Alice shouted from the hall.

“Alice, it’s… it’s ok. I’ll be ok.” She looked around as Amon’s barrier spread outward. “Take Baby too, ok?” She scooped up the cat and rushed her out into the hall into Alice’s arms.

“That’s a low blow, asking me to save your cat,” Alice muttered, then grabbed Ruby by the collar. Ruby squeaked as Alice’s lips met hers. This time the kiss was less a panicked mash and more something sweet and long, tasting like breath mints and maybe a bit of hope. “Don’t die,” she whispered

Cerb and Berith were shepherding the two away before Ruby stopped stammering. When she turned back into her apartment, the others were already heading down the walkway the Builder had left to the rooftop.

Her heart was hammering, adrenaline making her hands shake. She almost screamed as Fenix flickered past her, then reappeared at her side. [Come on.] He gently took her arm as yet another version of him shifted out of focus, then back. [Let’s get you as safe as you can be, too.]

The air folded around them with a sound like crumpling paper, and in a blink they were on the roof of her own building, overlooking the others. “How?” she croaked.

[Superposition, quantum entanglement, the usual. ] Fenix grinned as if that were an explanation, then vanished.

The twins there are well, bracelets already chiming like bells as they reformed into elaborate bows. “Stay behind us, Author,” one said. “You sure you are an author?” the other asked without looking as lightning split the sky and clouds churned overhead. “I mean you’re so short.”

They continued on, and Ruby tuned them out, squinting as the lights on the block flickered and went out. Streets away, she could hear horns blaring, people shouting as hundreds of disoriented civilians found themselves suddenly blocks from where they’d been.

But over it was that sound. The one she’d heard on the subway, stinking and filthy brown. And then there was the clattering, tinkling music of a Jack in the box. There was a dissonant clang from somewhere else, echoing off the surrounding buildings, and down below in the darkness she could see white shapes shambling through the gloom.

“Fenix! I thought you cleared the area!” Caim shouted, twirling his guns as the building shook rhythmically. Thunk. Thunk.

[I did!] Fenix signed, eyes wide. [These came premade!]

Another thunk.

Something was climbing the wall.