When the Endbringer alarm woke me, I only barely panicked. I’d been half-awake already, so after a brief startle and near miss falling out of bed, I scrambled to the closet and got ready. My heart was pounding, but I didn’t feel nearly as bad as usual. I had a plan, or something resembling one, and I knew my place in things; right beside Amy. Talk to Chevalier about the hospital, talk to Tattletale about Phir Sē, then play bodyguard/nurse for the next…

  Fuck, how long did this fight last? It felt like nearly an hour last time, and that hadn’t been close to the end. Maybe, probably, I guess I wouldn’t know until I...made it. I swallowed hard and grabbed the doorframe, fighting a sudden wave of dizziness. I would make it, we would make it. I took a deep breath and charged up the stairs.

  I had warned Defiant after dinner with Mark, just like last time, and had been a little more specific. I gave him both cities, Lucknow and New Delhi just in case being too specific would fuck things up. Still, here we were a day after I told him the attack would happen, and he was right on schedule. Maybe they’d be pissed, but Chevalier had seemed to just shrug it off so… Here went nothing.

  I greeted Miss Militia, then gave Amy a call. I explained ‘Pandora’ to Miss Militia, and she was down a minute later, coming right over and grabbing my hand. She was pale, eyes wide, terrified no doubt. Fuck, I was too. I slipped my hand from hers and wrapped an arm around her back instead, leaning against her. It helped, and I didn’t mind the looks I got when the Wards came in.

  The Undersiders arrived a minute before Bifrost did and I offered Tattletale a nod, though only got a glare in return. That was fine, I’d talk to her when we got there. With any luck, the prescient Endbringer would make her open up her ears. If not…

  Fuck, if not what? Talk to Chevalier ASAP and pray he had guys who could do it and wouldn’t fuck everything up. Considering how things had been going last time… It was a long shot, but was probably the best option. I couldn’t go around convincing random capes, but the guy who knew I predicted it and the girl who hated my guts but had some inkling of what I knew might listen.

  I took a deep breath as we gathered to teleport, then let it out into the smoky air of New Delhi. The first group, with me, most the Wards, Adamant, and Miss Militia joined Chevalier in a familiar plaza. We took armbands and antiradiation pills, then began breaking into groups. I approached Chevalier, clearing my throat.

  “Sir,” I began. “The hospital needs to be further behind the lines.” He eyed me.

  “And you are?” he asked.

  “Amaranth, Brockton Bay Wards,” I belatedly introduced myself. “I’m the one that told Defiant about today or...approximately.”

  “You have something more then?” Chevalier crossed his arms. “Right now it’s planned to be behind the first fallback line, at least half a kilometer from Behemoth.”

  “If he gets through that line, it’ll collapse quick,” I said. “I… Dispersing stuff is only going to make it weaker. If there aren’t enough capes protecting the hospital, people will die. Further back might make recovery harder, but defenses will be more concentrated, right?”

  “How do you know all this?” Because I was there.

  “I remember it,” I said simply. “Sorry sir, one other thing. Local cape has a bomb that strong enough to nearly kill Behemoth. Phir Sē, that’s his name. I think he’s underground, but that’s all I can give you. We need to get in contact with him, get him in on the defensive plan.”

  “Strong enough to—” Chevalier laid a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Amaranth, I need you to be serious.”

  “I’m dead fucking serious,” I retorted. “I don’t think it’ll work, but it should slow him down enough for more reinforcements, or maybe even Scion. I already have some capes in mind, but if they need help...humour them?”

  “Do you think that’s what Behemoth is after?” a cape in blue and white body armour asked.

  “Good bet,” Chevalier muttered. “Thank you Amaranth, I’ll put teams on it right away.”

  “Thanks sir,” I replied. “And the hospital?”

  “We’ll push it back another line, another two-hundred fifty meters, it ought to be enough.”

  I nodded, then turned around and headed into the growing group of capes here for a fight. I only had eyes for one team, currently hanging out quietly with a pack of Bitch’s dogs. They growled as I approached, and the Undersiders bristled as I held out my empty hands.

  “First of all, I’m sorry about Taylor,” I said, getting more than one scoff. “I didn’t want her dead.”

  “You got her in there right?” Bitch growled. “Means you may as well have.”

  “You’re not wrong,” I sighed. “But I have to live with that, until you guys try and kill me I guess.”

  “I told you we’re not gonna—”

  “Grue, I think you’re in the minority here,” I cut him off.

  “Little bit, boss man,” Tattletale said, crossing her arms. “You sure throw her name around a lot, not her mask.”

  “We all need to remember we’re not just masks,” I countered. “And I’d rather remember a sixteen-year-old bullying victim than a brutal warlord.” Not that one was different than the other.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “Words,” Bitch spat.

  “Yeah, well, if you don’t care about those ones then listen to these.” I took a deep breath and lowered my voice before speaking again, just louder than the rumbling of the ground. “A local cape named Phir Sē has a bomb that can almost kill Behemoth. I don’t know exactly where he is, beyond underground. You guys are best equipped to find him and get in contact, bring him on board with the fight here.” Tattletale gaped even as I got laughs from Imp and Regent.

  “You’re not kidding,” she said. “No, no, no do you know the energy you’re talking about? That would obliterate the subcontinent.”

  “I guess if it fails,” I said. “Chevalier is sending his own guys, but I think this is going to require some...dirty work, and I don’t know if they’ll have the guts. But you guys took on the Nine, the Fallen, the Teeth, and came out on top. I don’t know if there’s another team that could handle it.”

  “So what, you want us to run around and try not to get squished looking for a continent-destroying bomb?” Regent drawled, shaking his head. “The hell’s in it for us?”

  “Survival?” I replied, glaring at him. “Fuck, if it’ll get you on the job I’ll give you a hundred-grand from my Shatterbird money.”

  “A hundred-grand each,” Imp chimed in.

  “No,” I snapped, then glowered at Tattletale. “I cannot do this, Tattletale. I don’t have the skills, and I don’t have the powers; your team does. We don't see eye to eye, hell we probably never will, but there’s only one person on the planet I’d trust with this more and she’s dead.” She eyed me silently for a moment.

  “You really think this will work?” I gave her a firm nod, drawing a sigh. “Fuck. Grue, take Bitch and Regent; search and rescue like we planned. Bitch, I need a dog. Imp, you’re coming with me to find Amaranth’s mystery cape. You too, Amaranth, no free meals around here.” I snorted.

  “Fuck I am,” I retorted. “I have a different job here, more important.”

  “Your girlfriend will be fine,” Tattletale snapped, making me flinch. “You’re seriously willing to risk India over her?”

  “I have zero utility here,” I grumbled. “And besides, I know where I’m needed. I’ll just be more weight on the dogs, slow things down. I couldn’t tell you where or when, beyond ‘underground’ and ‘soon’ so what the fuck could I possibly offer?”

  “It’s not about what you can offer it’s about—”

  “Tattletale,” I cut her off, shaking my head. “If there was anything else I could do, I’d do it. I know you hate me and I don’t even know if you’re wrong to, so let’s try and not be at each others’ throats for the next couple hours at least?”

  “You’re a selfish little shit, you know that?” I shrugged and nodded, drawing a sigh from Tattletale. “Fine, good luck keeping your girlfriend from turning capes into clones of her sister." I flinched at just how vicious she sounded, then backed off, leaving the Undersiders to it. I let out a long, shaky breath as I made my way back to the heroes.

  “Fuck are you doing?” Clockblocker demanded, grabbing my shoulder. I shrugged him off and shot him a glare.

  “Trying to make sure at least some of us make it home,” I snapped, making him balk. “Don’t bring that heroes and villains shit here Clock, it’s going to get us killed. Right here, right now, it’s humans against real, genuine monsters.”

  “Doesn’t give you the okay to work with warlords,” he countered. “Go with Crucible, you’re on recov—”

  “Bodyguarding Pandora,” I interrupted, shaking my head. “That’s what I need to do, make sure the best healer we have doesn’t bite it.”

  “The hospital is going to have a dozen capes guarding it already,” he said, sounding exasperated. “They don’t need you, we do.”

  “Add a charge to my hearing, because I’m not buying it, captain,” I said, rolling my eyes.

  “Then tell me fucking why at least!” Clockblocker shouted, grabbing my shoulders roughly. I looked down, a lump growing in my throat.

  “Because she dies,” I admitted quietly, blinking as my eyes stung. “If… I can’t let that happen Clock.” He sighed and let me go, then gently cuffed my arm.

  “I wish you were easier to believe,” he said dryly, then rubbed the back of his neck. “Fuck me, you’re not even bullshitting are you?”

  “I wish to god I was,” I replied with a shake of my head. “Behemoth will go for the hospital if he gets close enough, too many capes for him not to. I save Pandora, she saves more capes than our entire team combined.”

  “And it has nothing to do with your little crush?” I stared at the ground. “Hey, there’s...there’s nothing wrong with being worried over people you care about. Gallant was probably scared shitless when Glory Girl joined the fight against Leviathan, same with my mom and dad. But we can’t let that get in the way of doing our job.”

  “I’m not,” I countered. “I...yeah okay that’s part of it, sure, but so is my power. If you’re that worried about my motivation, go call Defiant and get his lie detector down here.”

  “Defiant’s en route, shutting capes.” Clockblocker sighed. “Look Amaranth just—”

  “Behemoth is surfacing in the old city, several kilometers south of India Gate,” Dragon’s passionless voice echoed through a hundred armbands as the ground rumbled violently.

  “Come on!” Chevalier bellowed, and heroes and villains alike started running after him.

  Clockblocker gave me a look, then joined them. I did too, though lagged behind until I found the group of healers and hospital staff that made up the medical team here. They didn’t seem to notice I’d fallen in with them, or at least they were focused on getting wherever they were needed and worrying about who was coming later.

  I wasn’t a medic, but I knew a little more than the basics thanks to the Wards. I could tie a tourniquet as well as anyone else on the team and had some hands on experience thanks to my idiot plan of leaving them during the Slaughterhouse Nine’s visit. Of course that didn’t translate perfectly into Endbringer first-aid, but an extra pair of hands was probably better than nothing. I’d just follow any instructions they felt like giving or else try to stay out of the way.

  We passed through the plaza that Kid Win and a dozen other Tinkers were organizing in, heading towards the growing cloud of ash and soot in the distance. Fortunately, we didn’t continue for long, stopping on a wide boulevard that had been cleared of the crowds, barricades set up and heroes watching. I joined one of the teams setting up tents, silently getting to work.

  It didn’t take long to get the tents done, but then it was setting up rows on rows of cots and stretchers, preparing medical supplies, and getting briefed on the shorthand we’d be using between us and the locals who didn’t speak English. Despite my racing heart and shaky hands, I was razor-focused. Yes, I was here to keep Amy safe above everything. In the meantime, I couldn’t just be a pair of idle hands. When we finally broke apart and headed to the treatment tents, I found Amy and joined her.

  “The f— Amaranth,” she hissed. “Aren’t you supposed to be on recovery?”

  “I can’t,” I said, keeping my voice low. “And you know exactly why.” She sat on a cot and stared at the ground, and I sat next to her.

  “I’ll be fine,” Amy said, though it didn’t sound like she believed it. “You...you should go help.”

  “I can help here,” I countered. “I’m not a professional, sure, but I can keep pressure on an artery long enough for a real healer to do their thing. And more importantly, worse comes to worse, I’m here and not out there. I’ve done what I can to get things going but—”

  “Casualties!” a bellow echoed across the plaza.

  We sprang into motion and got to work.