Camp Asaka seemed lonely without the soldiers. Natsuki looked out of the barracks common room window down on almost deserted streets, only an occasional support vehicle driving through. She shook her head as the midday sun played across the empty streets.

    “I guess the information stream updates have started pushing downstream by now,” Yukari said, sipping a cup of tea beside her. Sayori was at the hospital, visiting Yuri.

    Natsuki frowned. “These could be our last days. How is it that I can’t think of anything I want to do?”

    “You could go visit Aquila,” Yukari said. “Don’t you think it’s about time you made your peace with yourself about her?”

    “It’s not...it’s not that,” Natsuki replied. “I’ve made my peace with what I saw. Now, I just can’t think of what to say to her.”

    “‘How are you feeling?’ is a good start,” Yukari said.

    Natsuki shrugged. “I suppose.”

    “I’ve got the powers of a superhero!” Natsuki heard Cap declare from the hallway. She and Yukari turned to see Cap walk into the common room, arguing with Meliana. “Not only that, I was the strongest superhero in my world. Unless the other side has some Ultratonium lying around, I am literally invulnerable. You need me on that line!”

    “Nobody on that line is going to survive the battle,” Meliana said, her voice almost steady. “Balthazar can make this Ultra-...whatever it’s called...at will. Having one more person die there won’t change anything. I need you to help with the evacuation – if Balthazar gets through us before it’s over, somebody is going to need to protect them, and you’ll do a better job than anybody else.” She sighed. “Your friend Aquila’s guilt has saved millions. Let my guilt save just a few, please.”

    Cap grimaced. “I don’t like this.”

    “Nobody is happy about this,” Meliana said. “I have to somehow face my family and assure them that everything is going to be okay. How am I supposed to do that when I know I’m going to die tomorrow? At least they’ll be among the first evacuated. That’s not nothing. But, there’s more.

    “Atria will know very quickly if Balthazar will come to the table once we’re gone. If he won’t, I want you and your friends to take my creator and his family into the story worlds with you when you leave, and get them to safety. I may not have a future with them, but at least I can make sure they have one.”

    “I should go see Aquila today,” Natsuki said. “I’ll let her know about your request, and talk her into it.”

    Meliana looked at her and nodded. “Thank you.”

    The door opened, and Atria stepped in wearing the JSDF uniform of a lieutenant-colonel and holding a tablet, her face ashen.

    Meliana blinked at the sight of her. “Is something wrong with the evacuation?”

    Atria shook her head. “I found her. Balthazar’s creator. And...it’s much worse than we thought.”

    “Let’s see it,” Meliana said, holding out her hand. Atria handed her the tablet. Meliana read it, and her shoulders slumped. “There was never any hope. He would never have talked to us anyway.”

    Natsuki and Yukari exchanged glances. “What’s wrong?” Natsuki asked.

    Atria told them. Natsuki, Yukari, and Cap stared at her in shock.

    “Aquila will need to know,” Natsuki muttered.

    “Anyway, I’ve got the evacuation plans set,” Atria stated. “As soon as Balthazar and his people cross the perimeter, we’ll get started. This could happen as early as this afternoon. For operational security, the only one of our kind who knows where we’re going is me, so I’ll be one of the first out, just in case Balthazar doesn’t need line of sight to read minds...but, it’s not going to take long. I’ve started moving people to the staging area. The personnel taking care of transport have been briefed on where to go. During the battle, you’ll be able to reach me by radio or phone until I board my transport, and then...well, you know. You’ll still be able to talk to me, but I won’t be able to reply without giving away our position.”

    Meliana nodded.

    Atria turned to Natsuki. “Natsuki, I’m evacuating Aquila, Kasumi, and Yuri from the hospital by helicopter in three hours. I’m sending you there to get everybody ready. Somebody will come down to fetch them when the helicopters arrive. Your transport is waiting downstairs. It’s just a cab, but I’ve taken care of the fare.”

    “Sayori’s there as well,” Yukari said. “I’d better go too.”

    Atria shook her head. “I can add one extra person to the helicopter evac, but not two. I’m sorry Yukari, but you’re staying here and evacuating with us.”

    Meliana gave her a sad smile. “I guess Lee, Hancock and I had better get ready to do our part...and I’ve got to say my goodbyes to my family. It was a pleasure meeting all of you. I just wish it had been under better circumstances.” She turned to Atria. “All we’ve got left now is to hope for a miracle. If there’s one to be had, find it.”

    Atria nodded. “I won’t stop trying. If there’s a way to save all of our worlds, I’ll make it happen.”

    Natsuki rose and grabbed her toggle coat. As she was on her way out of the door, Yukari embraced her. “Just in case,” Yukari whispered, “thank you for being there for me.”

    “I’ll see you soon,” Natsuki promised, and headed out to catch her cab.


Natsuki’s breath caught in her throat as she saw Aquila chatting with Kasumi in the hospital room. She had met Sayori in the hallway and told her everything she needed to know, so Yuri would be ready to go. But that left Aquila to her.

    Aquila gave her an uncomfortable smile as she knocked on the door. “Hi Natsuki,” she said. “I was afraid I wouldn’t see you again.”

    “I had to sort a few things out,” Natsuki stated. “I’m sorry I took so long. I figured out how Balthazar is colliding the worlds, and we made a plan, and...” Her voice trailed off.

    Aquila nodded. “Cap told us during a visit. It looks like Detective Natsuki lived up to her name once again.”

    “They’re expecting Balthazar to attack the base soon,” Natsuki said. “We’re being evacuated by helicopter in about two hours, maybe two and a half. You both need to be ready.”

    Kasumi looked at Aquila. “That explains why the nurse just came and removed your IV.”

    “I guess I’d better get dressed,” Aquila said, heading for the water closet with a bag of clothes. As she closed the door behind her, Kasumi regarded her with narrowing eyes.

    “Natsuki, what’s wrong?” Kasumi asked.

    “It’s...it’s complicated,” Natsuki replied, shaking her head.

    Aquila emerged from the water closet, dressed in a pair of grey pants and a green shirt. “It feels so nice to be out of a hospital gown!” She stopped when she saw the look on Natsuki’s face. “Natsuki, what’s going on?”

    Natsuki forced herself not to cry. “There’s...there’s no hope. Atria found Balthazar’s creator, and...” She told them what Atria had said.

    Aquila nodded. “I see. That explains everything. Alright, I’m not going on any helicopter. I need to speak to Balthazar.”

    Kasumi blinked. “Are you crazy? You can barely walk down a hallway!”

    “I now know how to reach him,” Aquila said. “And I’m probably the only one who can. I can give him the reason he’s looking for to stop, but I have to get out there and speak to him.”

    Kasumi shook her head. “If you go out there...”

    Aquila swallowed and placed her hand on Kasumi’s shoulder. “Kasumi, I’ve spent all this time being your hero, and it’s been my honour. But, right now, I need you to be mine. I’m not going to be able to get out there without your help. Please, help me. I can do this – I can reach him.”

    Kasumi closed her eyes and nodded. “Okay. Whatever you need.”

    “Good,” Aquila said, turning to Natsuki. “And I need something from you as well. More specifically, I need something from Atria.” Aquila told her what it was.

    Natsuki’s eyes widened. “This might work!” She pulled out the smartphone Atria had issued her and called her.

    “Natsuki, what is it?” Atria said as she picked up. “This isn’t a good time.”

    “Aquila needs something,” Natsuki replied. “She’s going to try to talk to Balthazar. She thinks she can reach him.”

    “Is she out of her fucking mind?” Atria demanded. “Natsuki, get her onto that helicopter – that’s an order! It will be there in about twenty minutes. Balthazar has just crossed our perimeter, and the battle is starting.”

    “Atria,” Natsuki said, “Aquila gave you an estimate of how long we had before the worlds collide. You never told us how long it was. How much time do we actually have left?”

    There was a pause on the other side. And then Atria said, her voice quiet, “Three days, plus or minus one.”

    “Then there’s no time left anyway,” Natsuki stated. “If I’m going to die here, I want to die trying to help Aquila. Please let me have that.”

    “Natsuki, if I let you do this, you will be cut off from the evacuation,” Atria pleaded. “I can’t send an evac helicopter into the battlefield. And I can’t tell you where we’re going, because Balthazar will be able to read your mind. If you do this, you will never see your friends again!”

    Natsuki took a deep breath. “I know. But this is what I have to do. If I’m going to die, this is how I end.”

    “Damn it all,” Atria cursed. “I really liked you, you know that? I wanted to work with you right to the end. Okay, what does Aquila need?”

    Natsuki told her.

    “I’m sending it to you by text,” Atria said. “You’ll be on your own for getting back here. Good luck.”

    The phone went silent. A single text appeared on the screen, with what Aquila had asked for. “I’ll get that written down,” Kasumi said, grabbing a pen and notepad and starting to write.

    “We’re on our own for getting there,” Natsuki said. “I guess we’ll have to call a cab or something.”

    “Or, I could help you,” a new voice said from the door in badly pronounced Japanese. Natsuki turned to see a tall American in his early forties with a muscular build regarding them. He was dressed in a charcoal three-piece suit and tie, with short dark hair and eyes.

    “Who are you?” Aquila asked, pulling on her coat and popping the collar. Kasumi finished writing and handed Aquila the piece of paper. Aquila put it into her coat pocket.

    “I think your side calls me ‘the Wildcard’,” the man said. “But, my name is Jack Death. Do you happen to speak English? My Japanese is still far from perfect.”

    “We speak English,” Natsuki said, switching to it. “How long have you been standing there?”

    “I’ve been following you since you left Camp Asaka,” Jack Death replied. “In my story I was an assassin. One of the best, in fact. Following people and not being noticed is one of my fortes. Don’t worry – my days of killing people are long gone.”

    “Why are you helping us?” Kasumi asked, handing the piece of paper to Aquila.

    “I would be happy to explain everything to you on the way,” Jack stated. “But with the greatest respect, I don’t think we have time to delay. Not if you want to reach Balthazar before it’s too late.”

Natsuki looked out the window nervously as Jack Death sped through the streets of Tokyo. “It took over half an hour for the cab to get me there,” she said. Behind her, she could hear Aquila and Kasumi whispering to each other in the back seat.

    “I’ll get you to the base in under fifteen minutes,” Jack stated.

    “You promised us an explanation,” Kasumi said.

    Jack nodded, turning a corner. “I got here from my story about two and a half years ago. I come from an action movie franchise. Not a very good one. Do you know what compassion is?”

    As she looked at Jack, Natsuki saw both Aquila and Kasumi nod in her peripheral vision.

    “My story had none,” Jack explained. “It was all gunfights and violence and suffering. There were no choices that weren’t ultimatums backed with lethal force. But, when I got here, I found myself in this park. And, this little boy – he couldn’t have been more than seven or eight – stumbled and fell while walking with his parents. His parents didn’t berate him for his clumsiness, or beat him...they held and comforted him. And that’s how I discovered what compassion is. It didn’t take me long to realize how precious it is as well. No matter how bad the suffering or violence, so long as just a bit of compassion can survive there’s hope.” He smiled wistfully. “I tried to explain that to Balthazar, before he started his war, but I couldn’t reach him. He couldn’t see past the suffering.”

    “So why not just kill him?” Kasumi asked. “You’re some sort of super-assassin, right?”

    “I got rid of my guns long before I met Balthazar,” Jack replied. “Violence is very good at disposing of the cruel, but that’s all it’s good for, and Balthazar was never cruel. What he wanted was a kinder world, but you can’t create one with force. For that you need compassion. I tried to explain that to him too. When that failed, and he started his war, I made myself available to both sides as a liaison. I had hoped that if I could just get both sides to sit down and talk to each other, Balthazar could be made to see reason.” He sighed. “But, I was wrong. You have no idea how much I was hoping that your meeting with his people would be anything other than an ambush.”

    A rumbling of gunfire and explosions sounded in the distance. Natsuki swallowed. It felt far too close for comfort.

    “I think today is our last chance,” Jack said, speeding down the street. Natsuki recognized some of the landmarks – they were on the Camp Asaka grounds. “If you can’t reach him, then this is the end. All the suffering will be gone, but all of the compassion too. I hope you make him see that.” Jack stopped the car. “This is as far as I can take you.”

    Natsuki swallowed and got out of the car. She could smell the smoke in the air. She opened the back door and helped Aquila out. Kasumi joined them from the other side of the car.

    “Good luck,” Jack Death said, and then sped away.

    Natsuki flinched as a deafening explosion sounded nearby.

    “The battle’s started,” Aquila breathed. “Let’s hope we’re not too late.”

NEXT: “Apotheosis”