“Well that can’t be good,” I muttered, looking up at the array. My vision burst to light with notifications and achievements all of which were pushed to the side as the edges of my vision pulsed with a red light. Several new warnings appeared in rapid succession, each appearing briefly in its own window as a loud, monotone voice echoed out, almost as if it was coming out of speakers in the sky.

  [Warning: System changes in progress lost. Matrix Access Unit has disconnected. Changes not yet completed will be lost.]

  [Warning: Matrix Access Unit is offline. System recalibrating. Access to Universal Matrix will be lost in 15 Minutes.]

  [Alert: Augmentation Array stability lost. Backup systems activating… Backup systems activating… Backup systems activating… Backup Systems Activated: 82.4% Success. WARNING: Failed nodes will begin descent immediately.]

  [Warning: Late Entry to Wave Ten Accepted. Wave Phase recalibration required. Racalibrating… Recalibrating… Recalibrating… Recalibration completed! New Augment will enter with 15 levels. Phase Two end date reset, advancing to Phase Three early. All Phase Two Requirements decreased by 50%. Time until end of Phase Two: 1H:45M:3S]

  [Alert: Augmentation Array stability lost. Backup systems restarting… Backup systems restarting… Backup Systems restarting… Backup Systems Activated 74.7% Success. WARNING: Failed nodes will begin descent immediately.]

  The warnings faded, though every few seconds [System Recalibrating] flashed in the center of my vision. I heard a series of explosions in the distance before a familiar, so, so welcome voice reached my ears.

  “Loophole!” Swansong called out, coming down to the ground and stumbling toward me. I caught her before she could trip on the debris and she looked up at me with panic in her eyes. “Did you see those alerts?! What’s happen– Oh god! Is…. Is Codex okay?”

  “Yeah… he should be,” I said, my hands still on her shoulders as I looked from her and then back to Jon. He still looked rough… though there was notably no blood pouring out of him and his chest was steadily rising and falling.

  “And… what about that?” she asked, clearly looking up toward the sky. I followed her gaze, one of the many nodes sparkling red as it plunged down toward the ground. It wasn’t moving fast… or… maybe it was. Was… did I make a mistake? I desperately wanted to slow time down, but I was up to twenty-four percent on my Temporal Fatigue and that meant I could get away with one more use of Timekeeper’s Control without knocking myself out unless somehow this didn’t end in the next ten minutes.

  “I… I might have made a mistake…” I said, my voice low before I heard the sound of an explosion off to the north.

  “Can… can you fix it? With your… you know,” she said, suddenly aware of the sound of murmuring coming from the nearby sidewalks.

  I heard the sound of a scream and I looked over to see an older woman staring at the rubble where my apartment once stood. It was Mrs. Greyson and… I felt the smallest part of me fill with relief as I spotted Mr. Greyson leaning down on one of his knees, struggling to catch his breath. While I knew other people lived in the building too, other than Jon I really didn’t know them. That definitely wasn’t a healthy way to look at it… but I also only had one shot to finish this… if it was even going to be possible.

  “I’m really close to triggering the knockout status from my ability… I can do it once more without it happening… I’ll use it if I need to… I just… I… He was dead, Swan… Axio had me cornered… he… he was going to overload the core Mr. Factory is installing into Perry to blow up part of the city and… well he might have mentioned having some failsafes…” I explained, keeping my voice low and shaking my head as my fists clenched.

  [Alert: Matrix Access Unit is back online! Warning: This unit is not [ERROR NOT FOUND] approved, full functionality is not guaranteed.]

  “Um… not to correct you… but I think that’s a dead man’s switch,” a new, slightly confused male voice said inside my head. I jumped briefly, causing Swansong to look at me with worry before I pointed up at my temple, hoping it would explain it away. While the voice was strange to hear… the moment I heard it I felt a wave of relief knowing that the script I wrote worked. It was simple really… just a basic script that was instructed to activate the moment Axio made his first change. It wasn’t necessarily guaranteed to fix everything… but I suddenly felt like we had a chance. “So uh… not that I’m complaining or anything cause it’s a lot quieter in here and all that… but how’d I get inside your head?”

  I was just about to answer when I heard the distinct sound of a finger tapping against a microphone.

  “Hello, is this thing on? Loophole, what the hell, you could have at least given me a warning! And sheesh, what are with these controls? I’m going to need to do so much remodeling if I’m going to be sticking around here… Anyway… Helllllooooooooooo New York! Oh… wait… that setting goes out to the entire world… I really hope that didn’t wake people up on the other side of the planet… Hmmm now where is it…”

  Swansong was cringing slightly… as were… wait… there were people cringing on the streets, all looking up toward the sky with looks of pure fear in their eyes. There was another short squeal of feedback that made everyone cringe again and I felt my jaw briefly drop… They were… they were hearing it.

  “Ah, that should do it,” Angie said, her tone full of glee as she quickly cleared her throat. “Hellooooooo New York! Now there, no need to panic, but I’m going to need everyone who’s not an Augment to get off the streets, preferably into the raid shelters if at all possible! My predecessor has decided to unleash… well… just about everything. Wow he was a sore loser.”

  Almost on cue, a sewer manhole a dozen feet up the street burst open… and several snake-men came crawling out of it.

  “Really!? I thought we were done with those!” I complained, looking up toward the sky. This time, luckily, her voice appeared inside my head instead of echoing across the city.

  “Hey don’t look at me, I’m not the one who was keeping a bunch of them sleeping in the sewer… You might want to handle those pretty quickly though, there’s a lot going on and… oh I should probably do something about those array nodes,” Angie said, humming a bit inquisitively as she murmured to herself.

  “Does she… does she always talk this much?” the new voice in my head asked, a slight sound of annoyance in his tone.

  “Hey, nobody asked you… ummm let’s see… ew what kind of name is Carl? Just… be a good P.A.I. and read off Loophole’s stuff when he needs you to, okay?”

  “Look, as long as I don’t have to listen to half a dozen of him arguing about… well this guy I guess… I’ll do whatever the hell yah want me to. And for what it’s worth, that’s just what Hydramental decided to name me. I originally told him my name was Peter,” the P.A.I said.

  “Then let’s go with Peter… I don’t think you can live up to the other Carl I know.”

  “Cool cool cool,” Peter said, his voice calming down as he seemed to settle in. "Hey buddy, you got a bunch of notifications, want me to read them for you?”

  “Um… Loophole,” Swansong said, pointing toward the six snake-men that had emerged from the sewers. “Are those… um… giant snakes?... Snake… men? I… what?”

  “Fine, go take care of those things… Let me see what I can work with in here, there's gotta be a way to stop those nodes from falling, let's see…”

  I materialized and used one of the few Full Restore Syringes I had on hand before tilting my head far enough to the side for my neck to let out a satisfying pop.

  “Well I think we got rid of the crazy people. So let’s start cleaning this place up. Swan, give me the Speed and Strength combo,” I said, with a brief look over my shoulder where I knew she was looking down at Jon and Marco. Even in the chaos going on around us… as I looked at the few snake-men that had been unleashed onto the street, I felt a smirk cut across my face.

  Without waiting for her to confirm, I pushed off the ground and rushed forward at three of the Level 27 Viper Ambushers that burst forward to meet me. The closest of the snake-men lunged toward me the moment they closed the distance, its claws outstretched as it tried to rip a wound across my chest. Instinctively, I activated Float Like a Butterfly and slid to the side.

  My fist flew forward with a lightning-like speed, connecting with the enemy and sending a shock of electricity through the Viper, leaving it convulsing as over a quarter of its health vanished with a single punch. The other charging Vipers all stopped in their tracks and I couldn’t help but look down at my fist with just a bit of confusion.

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  “Um… Hey Peter…?”

  “I did say you had some notifications…” he said with a chuckle. “Here, let me just get the one that matters…”

  “Mission Completed! A Man with a Mission! Now look, I’m not exactly used to reading these, Hydramental wasn’t actually a fan of any of the game stuff after the first few days, which made my life really boring. But hey, now he doesn’t have to worry about that any more, does he? Side note, still kind of wondering how I got in your head and why the crazy lady is where Axio is supposed to be. No rush though, really. Reward: You have received an S+:Tier Squad Base Loot Box and your weapon, SnakeBite’s Legacy has been upgraded.”

  “Hidden Upgrade Revealed: Elemental Fury! Congratulations Loophole, you managed to take care of SnakeBite’s unfinished business by removing Hydramental from the game. Interestingly, there were actually two different upgrades you could have gotten, though the one you would have received had you killed him… well based on the little bit I’ve seen, I don’t think it would have fit yah. Oh… I guess you probably care more about what it does, sorry, I could never get a word in in the other guy’s head… I’ll try not to ramble too much.”

  “Elemental Fury. SnakeBite’s Legacy now holds up to four charges. Each time you raise the Target debuff on an enemy up to 50% (10 standard uninterrupted hits), add a charge to this upgrade. You can choose at any time to expend one of these charges to double your next attack damage with one of the following damage types: Fire, Water, Earth, Electricity, or Wind. Each type of damage comes with additional effects as listed. Fire: Splash Damage: All enemies within 3 feet take 75% of the dealt damage and take an additional 50% damage from all attacks for 3 seconds; Water: Attack Dampening: 25% damage reduction for 15 seconds; Earth: Double Attack Damage and Rooting Effect: 5 second root. Electricity: Double Attack Speed and Stunning Effect: 5 second stun; Wind: Enemy Stamina Drain: 10% of their stamina and Knockback Effect: 10 feet. When this ability reaches four charges, your very next attack will automatically use one charge with a random element unless you consciously choose it. These charges are granted retroactively. Current Charges: 3.”

  “Well that’ll do it,” I said, rushing back in while my enemy was still stunned.

  In a flash, I pummeled it with ten more rapid blows before I threw a powerful jab, willing fire into the attack as its two cohorts rushed to try to help. My strike hit the still shocked Viper square in his chest and I saw small bursts of fire hit each of the others. Then, before any of them could react further, I added in a Mass Driver with 1000 points of my Stamina, sending all three of them spiraling backwards towards the remaining Vipers.

  They collided with the group ending up in a dog- er… snakepile over twenty feet away from me. Just as I was about to rush forward to press the attack, a sudden burst of bright light came hurtling out of the sky. The bolt of electricity struck down into the pile, with a loud CRASH and I held up an arm to shield my eyes from the light. When I finally lowered it, the snake-men were all dissolving into dust and Tempest’s Wrath was strolling away from it.

  “Oh I see, this is where he 'ad gone to. You tricked me Loophole, I thought I would get to fight him and show the world once more that I am the strongest of our generation, ‘ad you not beaten me, I would ‘ave laid waste to this place and been on my way. I ‘ave tried to do as you asked out of respect for you besting me, but you must know my patience only goes so far. Before I could reach that man, he turn into light and ran away. It was disappointing, I ‘ad to take out my energy on those robits he ‘ad left behind and they are not very much of a challenge, non?” she rambled slightly, stopping only to look back at the now missing pile of snakes. “Did I steal your victory?”

  “No, no, they needed to be handled,” I said, reaching up to pinch the bridge of my nose. “Look, I know I said I’d fight you and all that, but in case you didn’t notice, the world is kinda being set on fire right now.”

  “It’s kinda your fault, not that I’m complaining about the promotion,” Angie laughed. “Now. I think I might have just… let’s see, route all of you guys through this circuit aaaaaand…. Viola. Hello, Augments in New York, can you hear me?”

  “Ah shit, now the new Axio is talking to us… first this stupid chicken thing tries to petrify us now this, what’s up?” Pinky’s voice echoed into my head and I saw Tempest as she looked around wildly.

  “You know, does it technically actually count me as being in New York if I’m still tucked away in the Squad Base?” BrainCraft asked, ignoring Pinky’s complaining.

  “Brain?! Wait, how am I hearing you if you’re back in the base? That’s way too far away…”

  “Um guys, think we can focus for a second,” I offered up, still speaking out loud without necessarily intending to. I was just about to repeat myself in our internal chat when I heard Pinky let out a squeak.

  “Okay, what the hell, did we get a comms upgrade?”

  “Nope, just an Angie upgrade!” Angie chirped before anyone else could say something. “Although I think this is technically against the rules… I’m not supposed to help you guys out or anything, at least not this directly, but if New York gets destroyed then Mr. Blue Eyes is probably dead too and I just don’t like how that sounds at all. Getting all of you guys in the same chat just seemed like the easiest solution for coordinating out of this mess that Loophole dropped us into.”

  “And… why exactly am I being included?” Tempest asked.

  “Because you’re here and you’re on Loophole’s friend list. Also, he can’t fight you if he’s already dead because the city blew up or one of the array nodes landed on it at terminal velocity. Trust me, I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t end well for anyone, especially with how many of them are still falling toward the ground… Speaking of. BrainCraft, do you mind if I show you something, I believe your particular set of skills may help me see what I’m missing.”

  “Of course, I’ve been rather useless here so far so if I can assist, I’m happy to help.”

  “Good, uploading datastream now,” Angie said. “Also Loophole, you might want to start heading toward the Bay. Axio had a monitoring system in place for Perry and… well let’s just say I think he was planning on blowing Mr. Factory to the moon in about ten minutes or so, the core was at least starting from a boot up process so he has some time. Although the doors seem to be locked shut and keeping him in the core room too… He might deserve that, I don’t know, but the collateral damage… well I think I’ve made my feelings on that quite clear.”

  “Who is this Mr. Blue Eyes and why would this… Angie care about him?” Tempest asked, clearly thrown off her game by the sudden turn of events.

  “It’s a long story that really doesn’t make any sense even if I try to explain it,” I said, cautioning a glance back toward Jon. “How the fuck am I supposed to take care of a bomb like that…” I muttered.

  “What about Freak and Duskbreaker? Can you handle it like you did last time?” Swansong offered, having moved closer to me than I realized in response to Tempest walking our way.

  “Freak, any chance you can peel off of the chicken?”

  “It’s a cockatrice and this shit’s already destroyed three blocks out here. Fucker keeps doing some sort of petrifyin’ effect on us before we can get close enough to beat it down. The shit is really messing with Pinky's mobility and kinetic buildup. The fucking fire breathing isn’t helping either,” Freak complained.

  “Did he just say that he is fighting… a cockatrice? And you still believe this is not a game?” Tempest said, and I was pretty sure she was trying to hide a bit of disbelief.

  “It’s a robot cockatrice actually, and yeah, weird or fucking not, this is real life Tempest, you’ve got to start believing that,” I explained.

  “Well…” Peter interjected, trailing off without finishing the thought. I ignored the weird comment before pushing forward.

  “Now I’ll fight you, hell I’ll do it as many times as you want as long as we take the whole “to the death” shit off the table since I kind of really like being alive. But right now, I’ve got a city to save… Can I trust you’re not going to kill anyone on this street if I leave or do I have to stop you now?” I demanded, stepping up and looking down at her. For once, her normally unflappable demeanor seemed to falter and she seemed like… well… a young girl that had been gifted with an immense amount of power, unsure of what to do. “Hell… I bet you could make short work of that cockatrice… I could drop you off and then Freak could take care of that bomb with me.”

  “That’s… I ‘ave no idea why you are so insistent Loophole, but I must admit, you ‘ave passion. Show me to this cockatrice and I will destroy it as I did the other robits,” Tempest said. “And trust me, I will show you still that this is nothing but a simulation.”

  “Sure fine whatever, we can have a deep philosophical talk about what the world is later when the city isn't on the verge of destruction,” I said, trying not to sound too dismissive as I sent her a Temporary Team Up request since she wasn’t a part of a squad and when she accepted it, she appeared in her own row as a part of a Raid Group. I wasn’t exactly sure why she was actually taking the time to hear me out given her specific delusion, but I wasn’t about to shoo her away just because of it when I could point her at a much more justifiable target.

  “What… what about Codex and uh… this guy?” Swan pointing down at the two still. I felt my brow furrow as I thought about it for a moment before I heard someone clear their throat from the side of the road.

  “That boy… I know him. If you need to go and save the city, we can keep them safe until you get back,” the old, yet sturdy voice of Mr. Greyson said, taking a few cautious steps toward the road with a handful of other civilians standing behind him, watching carefully. “I think you’re needed more elsewhere, son.”

  “Thank you… we’ll do what we can to save as many people as we can,” I said before looking at the two girls. “I’m going to put some speed on us, so try not to drift too far away.”

  Before Tempest could question what I was talking about, I wrapped my Gravitational Field around both her and Swansong and launched us up and into the air, quickly ramping up the speed as I pointed us toward Queens.

  “Freak we are on the way, get ready to peel off. I’m bringing, uh… Well I’m bringing Tempest’s Wrath. She wants to play with the mythical chicken,” I explained as quickly as I could. “I’m going to need you to tank a hit, Dusk if you’re close by, we might need your energy stealing again. Rinse and repeat of the last time we had to stop Perry from blowing up part of the city.”

  “Y’know, the sky is falling and the city is about to blow up and yet somehow you made that sound like it’s a regular ol’ Friday,” Freak said with a bark of a laugh.

  “I mean… at this point,” Pinky said, trailing off.

  “Look, we’ve got super powers, we somehow managed to get the crazy lightning lady on our side, er… no offense Tempest, and there’s yet another threat to the city for the umpteenth time in the last few weeks… this kind of is a regular Friday for us now,” I said, focusing in on the Clockwork Cockatrice that Swansong, Tempest’s Wrath and I were quickly approaching. “Now then, let’s save this city.”

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