...Music is filling my ears. Piano music, a classical melody, familiar and cheerful. Mozart, I think...one of the sonatas. Underneath it is the ticking of an old-fashioned gear clock. As the image of Uqzhaal in his fearsome skull mask tumbles into my mind, I inhale sharply, my eyes flying open. I'm lying on an overstuffed couch in a treehouse room crammed to the gills with bizzare objects. I feel pressure on my right hand, the touch of a familiar calloused palm on my cheek.

"You all right there, Princess?" Jake brushes stray wisps of hair off my forehead, studying my face with worry in his eyes.

"I think so," I mumble, feeling languid. "I'm a little groggy, but I'll live."

I roll my head cautiously to the side to take in my surroundings. A Vaanti woman leans over a worktable. Her clothing is Anachronist, her hair dyed half pale lavender and half bubblegum pink and partially twisted into a topknot. She sets down her tools and wanders over to peer down at me through a pair of steampunk-looking goggles.

"Well, well. Still functioning."

I feel my heavy tongue start to loosen, and I start to babble. "Look...I'm not the Endless! I didn't have anything to do with betraying the Vaanti or..." I trail off as her words register. "Wait...what's still fuctioning?"

"Your internal clock. Woke you up at just the right moment." The Vaanti wanders over to a boom box sitting on the shelf along one wall and turns it off. The Mozart sonata cuts off. "You'll find that most of us aren't too interested in the Endless or the Catalysts. You had a hand in our story, certainly, but for us, that was quite long ago."

With the hand that Jake isn't clutching, I reach up to rub the side of my head, still aching savagely from my fall.

"...What the hell was in that drink?"

"Liquified time crystal. Harmless to us, but extremely toxic to others. Seems the shaman had it out for you." She leans over me, flicking a set of magnifying lenses over her goggles. "No symptoms other than drowsiness, though. You're very lucky. Or perhaps...different."

I scowl, swatting at her with my free hand. "Hey, back off! I didn't come here for a physical."

"No." She straightens. "You came here seeking help. Our help. With the Island's Heart. Your friend Zahra told us."

"Zahra? Where is she?" I look anxiously at Jake. "Where are the others?"

"They're nearby. They're fine. They just spent the night elsewhere in the city."

"Fortunately, no one else consumed what you did," the woman remarks.

"...And Uqzhaal?" I ask, bitterness creeping into my voice.

"On his way to Mount Atropo to stop the Endless, I presume. I pointed out to him that one can't be held accountable for the actions of an alternate self." She pauses a moment. "Oh...you're probably wanting a name to call me. Clockmaker will do."

"What's Jumanji planning to do?" Jake mutters. "Beat up Moon Man with his stick?"

Clockmaker sighs. "I'm afraid his words have managed to inspire a few of us who'd grown restless."

"Restless about being trapped in the past?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "Restless while waiting for Vaanu to depart."

"...I'm not sure I follow."

"We don't simply revel for hedonism's sake, you see. It's a farewell party. At some point, an eventuality may occur where Vaanu is finally able to continue on its journey. Then, at long last, our party will end."

"Wait. The island is going somewhere?"

"Not the island, but the life force that created it. Our ancestors worshipped the former, but it's the entity at the heart of La Huerta who we call Vaanu. Vaanu's arrival on Earth tore its body into hundreds of fragments. And when it broke, space and time broke too, trapping Vaanu here."

"Sounds like some kind of alien..." I murmur thoughtfully.

"Stories speak of a bright light. Visions. A faceless angel guiding those in need."

Jake's grip on my hand tightens. "That's our guy!"

"But I still don't understand why it would want to help us..."

"Perhaps Vaanu is hoping you might help it in return," Clockmaker suggests. The ticking clock begins to toll the hour, its bell low and musical. Clockmaker picks up a small desk clock and delicately turns back the hour hand. "As for me, I can get you into Rourke's facility in exchange for an answer to one, simple question."

"This oughta be good," Jake mutters.

Clockmaker takes a seat in an odd-looking chair placed conspicuously in the center of the room and casually folds her arms.

"What is time?" she asks.

Jake raises an eyebrow. "...Seriously?"

"Like...the abstract concept of time?"

"Yes. What does it mean to you? Answer carefully."

I am quiet for a pregnant moment. I close my eyes, trying to picture time. Trying to imagine forever. I start to feel dizzy again. Visions and memories tumble through my mind. The visions of the twelve idols. Memories of conversations I have had on this island, or things I have heard people say.

Time is inevitability, the Endless said.

Marking the passage of time is a fruitless effort, Varyyn said. It is time that marks the passing of us. Every end is a new beginning. Except the last one.

We are all slaves to time.

Time is a largely superficial construct.

We are all temporary, I said to Quinn. Every last one of us is a physical thing that eventually weathers away...killed by the very thing we were trying to keep alive.

Two-thousand one-hundred thirty-nine loops. Loops. Circles. An endless spiral of seasons and years that spirals up and out and moving ever onward as the lights of souls on its path are born and flicker out. ...Spiraling like...a DNA helix...

"...Time is inevitablity," I say softly. "There is no escaping it. ...It always wins in the end..."

Clockmaker seems disappointed by my answer. "An interesting perspective, and an informed one. It is also the perspective of the Endless."

I look up sharply. "I already told you, I'm not-"

"Not now. Not yet. But you are starting to think like her." She sighs and rises. "In any case, you have answered my question, and now my end of the bargain is owed. Come." She opens a sliding metal door and beckons for us to follow. Jake helps me to my feet, supporting me until I find my balance.

We emerge into hazy daylight onto one of the upper walkways. Anachronist Vaanti are still carousing on every level of the city.

"Alodia!" I turn to see Zahra approaching unsteadily, her arm wrapped around Craig's waist, a bundle tucked under her other arm. She hiccups sharply, making Craig snort with laughter.

"Yo, you got the hiccups again."

"No I...hic...don't!" she protests. I bite back a smile, trying to look stern.

"Have you two been up partying all night?"

They exchange a blank look and immediately dissolve into giggles.

"You say that like you're surprised," Zahra snorts, hiccupping again.

"Oh, crap, Z!" Craig suddenly yelps. "Don't look now, but there's a mouse by your foot!"

Zahra yelps, looking around wildly. "Where?! Where is it?!"

"Boom," Craig replies. "Hiccups cured."

As Zahra glares reproachfully at Craig, Michelle wanders out of a nearby building, rubbing her temples. Her hair is tousled, her make-up smeared.

"How does anyone sleep around here with all the noise?" she complains.

"It's not 'noise,'" one Vaanti informs her haughtily. "It's EDM."

"Whatever," Michelle grumbles. The others are emerging behind her, looking varying levels of rested. Diego immediately rushes over to me.

"Allie! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. No permanent damage. Just a slight headache." I ruefully rub the tender spot on the side of my head. Diego sags with visible relief.

"Morning, Alodia," Kele calls.

"What's up, doodlebombers?" Raj greets us. He immediately finds a warm place to lie down and closes his eyes. Clockmaker clears her throat.

"Alodia, when you're ready, I can open a rift here in Quarr'tel. It will take you directly to Rourke's compound beneath the Observatory, going back to a time before he'd expect you to arrive."

"Oh, whaaaaaaat?!" Craig crows. "I like this already!"

"So...you're going to help us?" I ask incredulously. "Just for answering a question?"

"That question matters much more than you may realize," Clockmaker replies. "As does the Island's Heart."

"Hey, Alodia," Zahra says. "If you're gonna be a freaking time ninja, you've gotta ditch the pirate look."

I look down at the shirt and breeches I'm still wearing. "...I do?"

Zahra rolls her eyes. "Yes. Desperately. Here." She takes the bundle out from under her arm and deposits it in my arms. "I grabbed some sick gear last night. Put these on."

"Oh, fine, if you insist."

I duck into the nearest building to strip off the shirt and breeches and replace them with Zahra's outfit choice instead. I pull on a purple, black, and navy blue dress of leather and silk with a low-cut bodice and a poofy, ruffled miniskirt. There's also a pair of strategically ripped black tights, sturdy black boots, and a pair of fingerless black leather gloves. I have to admit, it looks good. I'm not sure what I'd call the style. Steampunk? Cybergoth? Gothic Lolita? All three? I emerge, grinning.

"Okay, Zahra. I admit, I kinda like this."

"What's not to like?" Zahra replies blithely. "You look like a rock star."

Michelle whistles. "I feel like I need to create a new Pictogram account just to document that outfit."

"Hell yeah!" Craig lifts a hand. "Gimme five, Alodia!"

I raise my own hand to comply, and he starts to pull his hand away. Suddenly, everything seems to be moving in slow motion, as if Craig is moving through syrup. I clap my palm against his, and he returns to normal speed.

"Too slow!" As the tingling in his palm registers, he stops and blinks. "Wait, what?"

I smooth the silky ruffles on my skirt. "...Woah...was that...?"

"Are we ready to go?" I glance over at Sean, who has pulled Raj to his feet. Raj is still blinking blearily, but he looks conscious enough.

"I think so." I look over at Clockmaker, who nods. She takes a stopwatch from her pocket, and adjusts a few dials. The gathered Vaanti back up as she clicks the button on the top.

"Xiaoxin!" Clockmaker shouts. The air in front of me ripples and implodes like a burning film slide. A glowing wound opens in the skin of reality, surrounded by pulsing rainbow light.

"Oh, god," Diego groans. "Is this where some guy in a demonic bunny suit tells us to 'wake up'?"

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" Raj yelps. "...Am I awake?"

"We'll try to maintain it until you return," Clockmaker says. "Don't dawdle."

"Time for deploy," Jake murmurs, looking over at me. "You ready, Princess?"

I nod. "Let's go turn the tables on Rourke." I take a breath and run headlong into the rift. The voice of an Anachronist follows me.

"They don't stand much of a chance, do they?"

"May Vaanu guide them," Clockmaker replies.

We land in an immense, high-ceilinged industrial room, lined with monitors and technical equipment, far too advanced for me to make any sense of it. Lights flicker and flash, machinery whirs. Zahra looks around, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Dang...I could spend some time in here."

Jake holds up a hand in a sharp gesture that we've all come to recognize. Everyone freezes, quieting. He jerks his head at a lanky, pale-haired figure standing at a computer terminal.

"Malfoy," he whispers. "Three o'clock."

Aleister's back is turned to us. He connects a cable to a hovering drone, and then turns back to the monitor.

"Mother? Can you hear me?" I can just make out Iris' face on the screen. "Mother, it's me! Please, I need your help..."

"Access denied," Iris chimes. "User is invalid."

Estela grabs my arm. "Someone's coming!"

A small group of Arachnid soldiers are suddenly rushing at us. Mike is leading them, and it's already too late to hide.

"Intruders!" Mike growls.

Aleister starts, whipping around to face us. His eyes widen. "Wha-? No! Stand down!"

The soldiers hold their ground. Aleister disconnects the drone, and the monitor goes blank. His eyes lock with mine.

"Aleister!" I growl. "Give us the Heart, and we'll leave."

"You must be really out of ideas," Zahra mutters.

"Aleister, you don't need the Heart," Sean says. "Rourke's gonna trash the island if he keeps using it."

Aleister's eyes never leave my face. "...You shouldn't have come here."

"Permission to capture the intruders?" one Arachnid soldier asks as if having to ask is deeply irritating. Aleister rounds on the troops.

"Just...leave!" he growls through gritted teeth. "I have the situation under control!"

"You're lying," Mike says flatly. Jake takes a step towards Mike, but Sean grabs his arm, holding him back.

"Mike!" Jake cries plaintively. "Fight it, dammit!"

Aleister turns to a terminal and enters a series of commands. Mike freezes in place.

"I said leave!" he snaps.

"...Yes, sir," Mike answers after a moment. He turns stiffly and walks off.

"Wait!" one of the soldiers protests. "We're just gonna-"

"We're moving," Mike snaps. "That's an order."

"...Copy." The soldiers reluctantly follow him down the hall.

"You're controlling him?!" Jake cries, a hundred emotions flickering in his eyes as he looks at Aleister.

"Don't be ridiculous," Aleister mutters, rolling his eyes. "I merely adjusted his memory of the last few minutes."

"Where's the Island's Heart?" I snarl.

Aleister sighs, and gestures vaguely behind us. "...There."

We turn. On the far wall, gleaming out of the shadows, is a giant red robotic form surrounded by wires and scaffolding. It's a mecha suit, straight out of Transformers or Power Rangers.

"Good god..." I whisper.

"...It's inside the Omega Mech," Aleister sighs.

"What in the Sam Hill?" Kele breathes.

"...We...are...screwed," Craig groans.

"Nice knowing you, dudes," Raj agrees.

"Allie!" Diego cries weakly. I turn to see him leaning over a surveillance monitor. His face is pale, his hands shaking. I glance at the screen and my stomach drops. It's a feed from a security camera, showing Varyyn restrained on a lab table. He isn't moving. I know the room he's in. I saw it once when I touched the idol of Canis. In that room, my best friend was gunned down.

"Oh, no...oh, nonono..."

"Oh, god," Quinn whispers. "Are they experimenting on him?" Diego wrings his hands, breathing hard.

"We have to help him," he whimpers. "Allie, please say we'll help him..."

Michelle is scanning the monitors beside him. "Grace must be here, too. Why don't I see her on any of these monitors?"

I whirl on Aleister. "Where are they keeping Grace?"

"You should leave the way you came, Alodia," Aleister says softly. "This is only going to end badly for everyone."

This time, I'm the one Sean has to hold back as I lunge at Aleister. "Tell me, you little-"

"Easy, Alodia!" Sean says firmly. "We have to move quick. Do we go after Varyyn first, or the Heart?"

I settle, still quivering with rage. "...We go for Varyyn first. And Grace. We'll need to get out of here quick after we have the Heart, and we're not leaving them behind."

"Our friends come first," Quinn agrees.

"As it always should be," Estela says firmly. Diego pulls me into a hug.

"Thank you, Allie."

Aleister turns back to the terminal keyboard. "I warned you. Now you've left me no choice but to—ungh!"

He slumps against the terminal and sinks to the floor. Estela stands behind him, brandishing the blunt end of her spear. She tips her head, popping tension out of her neck.

"Been wanting to do that for awhile now," she mutters.

Craig grabs a power cord and begins tying Aleister's hands behind his back. Sean watches mournfully.

"I can't believe we have to do this, but it's better to not take any risks at this point."

With Aleister secured and his limp body concealed in the shadows under a terminal, we make a break for the elevators.

After a bit of searching, we make it to the Observatory lab. Varyyn is there on the cold, sterile table, wrists and ankles pinned by mechanical restraints. Diego rushes to his side, leaning anxiously over him and stroking his face.

"Varyyn! Varyyn, can you hear me?"

Varyyn moans, his eyes fluttering. "...Diego...I had hoped to see your face one more time..." His voice is weak. "They ambushed me...Too many...I couldn't..."

"Shhhh. I know. I know." Diego kisses his forehead. "Just hold on. We're gonna get you out of here." Jake and Sean are already struggling with the restraints.

"Damn things won't budge!" Jake growls. Sean manages to create a tiny gap in one of the shackles before it snaps shut again. Diego turns to a workstation, where Zahra is already peering at the screen.

"Piece of cake," Zahra says. "All we need to do is release the-" The workstation abruptly goes dark. Iris' hologram flickers to life in the center of the room, projected from a pedestal on the other side of the lab.

"I'm sorry, Zahra. I can't let you do that."

My blood runs cold. Diego isn't alone this time. But I know what happens next. "We need to leave," I say lowly. "Fast."

"Iris, you've got to let Varyyn go!" Diego pleads.

"Negative," Iris replies. I can almost whisper her next words with her. "This specimen will remain in custody for the duration of the procedure." I cast my eyes to the wall near the ceiling at the same moment that the panels open and the machine guns descend, attached to robotic arms. A camera drops down with them.

"Are you kidding me?" Craig cries.

"Defense sequence initiated," Iris says calmly. "Final warning..." I dive under the table. The others follow my lead, except Diego, who stays beside the table, clinging desperately to Varyyn.

"Diego!" I cry, my voice shrill with terror. The fear in my voice must be enough to move him, because he finally ducks down beside me, tears in his eyes. I pull him into my arms, feeling on the verge of tears myself. For a moment, all is quiet.

"...No hostiles within range," Iris finally declares. "Defense sequence suspended." The tension rushes out of me in a heavy exhale, leaving me weak and trembling.

"We gotta do something about that camera," Jake murmurs.

"Eye in the sky need taking out? Leave it to me." Kele produces a slingshot from his pocket, along with a rock. He takes aim, and sends the rock flying. With a clang, the camera detatches and drops, smashing against the floor. Kele grins. "Bingo."

I peek out cautiously, and see a wisp of smoke rising from the destroyed camera. Diego chokes on a sob, scrambling out from under the table and rushing back to Varyyn's side as the rest of us emerge behind him.

"How do we get him out?" Quinn asks. "We have to get him out!"

"Surveillance lost in Cloning Lab," Iris says. "Alerting proper channels."

"Wait!" I cry. As my eyes flick to the smashed camera, a crazy idea occurs to me. "Iris! We've got Rourke at gunpoint!"

The others look at me as if I've grown a second head, but Jake nods approvingly.

"If you don't release Varyyn, Rourke here gets a bullet in the head!" he says sharply. "What's it gonna be?"

Iris' hologram scans the area, but she's been blinded by the loss of the camera. "Data inconclusive...Everett Rourke was not seen entering the Cloning Lab."

"Just try and test me, Hallie 9000!" Jake retorts.

Iris is still for a moment. "...Threat level too high," she says at last. "Complying with hostiles' demand."

Iris vanishes. With four metallic pops, Varryn's restraints fall open. Diego clasps his newly freed hand, kissing it and weeping with relief. Michelle rushes to Varyyn's other side, quickly checking him over for injury.

"Doesn't look like he's hurt. Not beyond a few bruises, anyway. But he may have been sedated."

The piercing blast of a siren rips the air apart, making us all jump. Zahra swears under her breath.

"That little piece of holographic shit! She activated a fucking alarm!"

"We gotta move now!" Sean snaps. "Come on!"

Diego and Craig brace Varyyn on either side, keeping him propped upright. Varyyn struggles to keep his feet under him as we rush for the elevators, his chin dropping onto his chest. He lets out a weak croak.

"What was that, Varyyn?" Diego asks.

Another blast from the siren makes my heart spasm painfully. Every cell in my body is quivering with alarm. My breath comes out in shallow gasps. Varyyn raises his head with tremendous effort, nodding at a door on the other side of the lab.

"Grace..." he whispers.

A glance and a nod pass between us. We change course, heading towards the other door. We exit the lab at the meeting point of three hallways. Varyyn nods toward the left. The siren blasts a third time. As it fades, the sound of heavy footfalls approaching reaches my ears. Several Arachnid soldiers suddenly round the corner into the central hallway. Leading them is a hulking brute of a man with a shaved head, and two mechanical fists.

"Found yoooooooou," Tetra sings, leering.

"Give yourselves up!" one Arachnid barks. "Or we'll have to use force."

"Fuck you," Jake replies coldly.

"Hey, Jakey-wakey," Tetra sneers. "Wanna hear a good joke?"

Jake sighs. "Do I have a choice?"

"Why did the wolf cross the road?"

Jake edges back towards the rest of us, inclining his head. "On my signal," he murmurs. "Princess, Ariel, Short Stuff and Big Guy, you take Papa Smurf and head left."

"Uh...are any of those people even here?" Kele whispers back. I just pat his shoulder reassuringly. Tetra snarls impatiently.

"I said...Why did the wolf-"

"You got me, pal," Jake cuts him off.

"He didn't. Somebody ripped his guts out first!" Tetra laughs uproariously, reaching toward Jake. His mechanical limbs stretch out like snakes, rapidly closing the distance between them.

"They rebuilt him!" Quinn gasps.

"Now!" Jake shouts.

Quinn, Diego, Craig, Varyyn, and I make a break for it down the left hallway. The rest of the group hold their ground, facing off against the Arachnid troops. I glance back over my shoulder and see Jake narrowly dodging Tetra's writhing limbs. The mechanical fists slam into the walls again and again, sending chunks of debris flying.

"Jake!" My cry is plaintive to my own ears. I don't want to leave him.

"Alodia, get out of here!" he shouts.

"Go!" Sean agrees. He, Jake, and the others take off down the opposite hallway. The Arachnid soldiers swiftly pursue. Tetra turns and notices me frozen in the hallway. His furious gaze shakes me from my stupor, and I turn to run.

"Oh no you don't!" I turn to see an arm of serpentine steel surging down the hallway towards me. I grab the handle of the nearest doorway and swing it open, ducking behind it. Tetra's mechanical fist smashes through the thick steel, becoming stuck halfway through, his mechanical fingers clawing the air inches from my face. I recoil, pressing my back against the door jamb. It's all I can do to keep upright, to keep myself breathing.

"Hell yeah, Alodia!" Craig whoops. I wonder how he can be cheering me when I'm trembling like a goddamn leaf.

"Stupid sneaky kid!" Tetra roars furiously. He forcibly retracts his arm to try again, but Quinn leaps in between us.

"Back off!" she growls. "Or I'll mess you up all over again!" She stares him down, raising her hands and waving her fingers as if preparing to cast a spell. Tetra shrinks as he suddenly remembers who she is.

"N-no! Get away from me, you freak!" He retracts his arm and turns to flee down the hall with the rest of his group.

"Never underestimate the power of jazz hands," Diego quips.

"It's about all I've got at this point," Quinn replies with a rueful smile.

"Grace..." Varyyn croaks. "...She...is there..." He nods toward a door at the end of the hall. Craig and Diego, Varyyn still braced between them, head toward the door. Quinn reaches out and slips her hand into mine, giving it a squeeze. She studies my face intently.

"...You all right, Alodia?"

I force a smile. "...I'm fine. Let's get Grace back." But I grip her hand hard as we follow the others down the hall. On the other side of the door is a cramped interrogation room. An observation window looks in on a tiny cell. Grace is huddled in one corner of the cell. Her hair is matted, partially covering her face. What I can see of her expression, despondant and weary, makes my heart squeeze. She stares blankly into space.

"Grace!" I cry.

"Grace, can you hear us?" Quinn calls through the glass.

Grace raises her head. "...Alodia? ...Quinn? You're here, too?"

"We all survived, Grace," I assure her. "We've come to get you out."

Her gaze drops again. "Don't bother. You're better off without me."

"What?" Diego yelps. "Grace, I don't know what the hell has been going on here, but we're gonna get you out!"

"We are here to help," Varyyn agrees. He is starting to look a little steadier and more alert. A door into Grace's cell stands in the wall beside the observation window. Diego eases Varyyn into a chair and goes to the door, turning several latches. But when he pushes on the door, it still doesn't budge.

"I got this," Craig says, putting a hand on Diego's shoulder and easing him aside. He takes a running start and body slams into the door, but it still doesn't give. He winces, leaning against the wall.

"I think there's something jamming it from the other side!" Quinn exclaims.

Grace curls towards the wall. "Just go away, you guys. They'll only catch you if you don't."

A horrifying possibility creeps into my mind. What could Rourke or his Arachnid mercenaries have been doing to Grace that she jammed the door on her side to keep them out? I taste panic at the back of my throat.

"Grace, please! Open the door!"

"Why?! What's so good about being out there?! ...I'm better off where no one can get to me."

A familiar light manifests on one of the walls inside the cell. The ghostly figure steps out of the cinder blocks, its faceless gaze regarding Grace curiously.

"They're baaaaaaaaack," Diego sings without mirth.

Grace recoils. "Oh, no...I'm hallucinating again..."

"Grace!" I call. "That's Vaanu! It wants to help us!"

"No joke, Grace!" Craig agrees. "That thing's legit!"

"Just take whatever it gives you!" Diego adds.

Vaanu reaches inside of itself and pulls out a framed display containing colorful butterflies preserved behind glass. I press my palm to the glass of the observation window. Will she still see the visions if I'm not touching the object as well? Will I still see them? Grace reaches out a shaking hand towards the ghost. I close my eyes and let my forehead come to rest on the glass. Please...please let it still work...

A white light blooms behind my eyelids.

I am on a balcony overlooking a bustling city. The sky is the deep blue color of evening, but the soft glow of lights along the walkways and streaming from the glass-walled building behind brighten the balcony. On the other side of the glass is an upscale gallery. A large crowd is gathered inside, murmuring as they gaze at vibrant paintings featuring elaborate geometric patterns. The door to the balcony opens and Grace emerges. She is dressed in a bohemian skirt and blouse with a jeweled butterfly brooch. Her long hair has been woven into dozens of tiny brains, twisted off her face and held in place with a gold barrette. Michelle is beside her.

"I can't decide which one I like best," Michelle is saying. "Really, Grace, they're all amazing!"

Grace beams. "Thank you! Just let me know if you do see one you want and I'll set it aside."

The door slides open again. An elegant woman in a dark blue business suit, her hair flawlessly coifed and curled, steps out onto the balcony. I know in an instant who she must be. In spite of the stark contrast between Grace's gentle bohemian style and the woman's sharp, snappy business attire, Grace is the spitting image of her mother.

"Hello, Grace," Blair Hall says pleasantly. Grace's eyes widen.

"Mom...w-what are you doing here?"

"Grace, what a question!" Blair laughs. "I've always supported your little hobbies."

"'Little hobbies'?!" Michelle echoes indignantly.

"Mom, please don't try to embarrass me."

Blair looks genuinely surprised by the accusation. "Never, darling! I just, well...I did notice that some of these designs of yours are a little lackluster...maybe some more splashes of color here and there to spruce things up, you know?"

"You're...missing the point," Grace mumbles.

"I just don't understand why you don't take up something you're actually good at, sweetheart."

"Okay, that's it!" Michelle snaps. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Hall, but shut the hell up!"

"Excuse me?" Blair scowls at Michelle. "You watch your mouth, young lady!"

"Tell her, Grace."

Grace inhales and sets her jaw. "Mom, all of these paintings were generated by calculations and assigned geometric properties. The whole point of fractal art is to display the beauty of mathematics! It's not about being flashy or impressive, it's about celebrating the intrinsic patterns of the universe."

Blair shifts a little. "Of course. I knew that."

"No, you didn't. You've never taken anything I've done seriously, especially the things I'm passionate about."

Blair's eyes pass from Grace to Michelle and back again. "...I see. I'll...just be going." She turns on her heel, and stalks out with all the dignity she can muster. Michelle puts a hand on Grace's shoulder.

"You all right?"

Grace blinks in astonishment. "You know what? That...felt really good!"

Michelle grins. "Good! I think she will actually get it, by the way. Seeing how talented you are, she probably just feels threatened. Anyway, she's got about seven gushing art critics to get through on her way out of here, so I think it's gonna sink in."

Grace chuckles a little, then sighs. "You know, when I was little, she gave me this glass box full of butterflies. Beautiful specimens in every color of the rainbow. It was my most prized possession. And then I started to realize that's all I was to her. A precious thing to keep under glass and hide away."

"Grace, it's up to you who's really in your family and who's not," Michelle replies. "Don't let the ties that bind you be the ties that break you. Okay?"

Grace smiles. "Okay. You're right." She sighs again, but this time it sounds like a release. She straightens as if a weight has been lifted from her shoulders.

"Now," Michelle says with a grin, "I think it's time for some of that champagne!" She links her arm through Grace's, and the two of them head back into the party...

… I open my eyes again in the interrogation room. Grace stands at the center of her cell, eyes wide. She lifts her gaze to meet mine.

"Alodia...I think I just saw..."

"Your future," I finish, smiling. Behind her, Vaanu fades into the wall, its light vanishing. Grace moves to the door. There is a series of clicks, and the cell door swings open. Grace stares at us, clutching the framed display.

"...I'm ready to go now," she says with a soft smile. I rush inside to pull her into a hug. She holds me back. "...It's good to see you, Alodia."

"You too, Grace. So good..."

She's back. Our swan is back. My family is almost complete again. If only we can draw the snake back to our side.

Back at the entrance to the lab, I approach to see the others clustered around Sean, who sits against the wall, clutching his left leg. His breathing is labored, his jaw tight with pain. As I get closer, I see the shine of fresh blood on his pants.

"Sean!" I cry out, rushing to kneel at his side.

"It's fine," he growls. "I'll make it."

"What happened?" Grace asks anxiously.

"Got grazed by a bullet," he mutters, letting his head drop back against the wall.

"It isn't a graze," Michelle says flatly. "It's a wound, Sean. The bullet is inside your flesh. I need you to take it easy and not put too much pressure on it." She pulls off her backpack and begins searching through for her med kit. Jake shakes his head.

"There's no time for that, Maybelline,"he says grimly. "We barely lost Tetra and his grunts back there. They're gonna find us again if we wait much longer."

"Can you walk, bro?" Craig asks anxiously. Sean nods.

"I'll manage. Let's just get out of here." But he can't hold back a groan as Michelle and Raj help him to his feet. As we start back towards the surveillance lab, Zahra pulls a cylindrical device from under her arm and presents it to Craig with a grin.

"Lookie what we found."

"The laser cannon!" Craig gasps. "I thought I wasn't gonna see this again!" He takes the harness eagerly and begins strapping it to his shoulder.

Zahra's grin widens. "Just try not to get too trigger-happy."

We make our way to the elevators to return to the floor we arrived on. The Heart is our next objective. But I'm starting to get nervous again. Sean being wounded puts us at a disadvantage.

We make it back to the surveillance lab and creep over to the Omega Mech. Michelle and Raj ease Sean down against the wall while the rest of us stare up at the towering machine.

"It's...everything!" Zahra breathes.

"It's something, alright," Kele concedes.

Jake scoffs. "Leave it to Daddy Weirdbucks to paint his doomsday device mid-life crisis red."

I shade my eyes as I stare up at the thing. Erratic flashes of light hit my eyes from a compartment near the Mech's torso.

"There. I think the Heart's up there."

"Cool," Zahra says. "I'll check it out." She hoists herself up onto an elevating platform and starts it up. It rises slowly, gears whining.

"Wait up, Z!" Craig jumps at the platform and hooks his fingers over the edge. He laboriously pulls himself up. "We used to watch Gundam together, remember? It was our tradition."

Zahra laughs, slipping her hand into his. "I remember, ya doofus."

The platform finally comes to a stop next to the compartment with the flashing light. Michelle suddenly grabs my arm.

"Did you see something moving over there?" Michelle points to a cluster of desks, where I see a vague shimmering.

"I see it," Diego confirms. "I think it's the ghost."

"No," I murmur. "It's not the ghost."

Fiddler turns off her cloaking, appearing in front of us, a sickening grin on her ruby lips. "You should've asked permission before dropping in, sweeties." she purrs. "Now I'm gonna have to kick you out!"

A dark katana comes whirling through the air towards my lower body. My friends cry out in alarm. I grab a flat monitor off a desk and hold it up like a shield, even as I grit my teeth and brace for the pain. I'm thrown off balance as the blade crashes against the heavy plastic and clatters to the ground.

"Oh, god, too close!" Quinn gasps. Fiddler scoops up her weapon from the pile of shattered glass and plastic on the floor. Raj and Jake rush to my side and pull me to my feet.

"Shouldn't her blade have cut right through that?" Raj asks. He's right. But there's no glow of heat around Fiddlers katanas.

"What's the matter?" Jake sneers. "Lundgren replace your toys with hand-me-downs?"

"Shut up, Wolf!" Fiddler snarls. Jake steps away from me as Fiddler levels her blades at him. High above, a flare of light catches my eye. Zahra meets my gaze. She holds out the Island's Heart, preparing to drop it on Fiddler's head. Jake steps towards Fiddler carefully, keeping his eyes on her face. My heart wedges in my throat as he slowly closes the distance between him and her blades.

"You missed your opportunity to backstab me a second time, Jeanine," Jake says lowly. "But if I get half the chance, I'll make you pay for what you did to me and Mike."

In spite of herself, Fiddler retreats a few steps as Jake approaches, putting her squarely beneath Zahra. "Business, Jake. Just business. But then, you always did mix up work and pleasure..."

"What'd you do, Fiddler?" I ask. "What'd you do to them?"

She pulls herself up haughtily. "Jake didn't like what Lundgren was up to." She lifts her blade, bringing it up to Jake's throat. "And I didn't like Jake. When he told me he was going to expose our commanding officer, I did what anyone would have done. I let Lundgren know exactly what kind of scum he had working for him."

"Really. Sounds like you forgot to tell him about yourself."

Fiddler turns towards me, clicking her tongue. "I do not like that mouth of yours, little blonde brat. How about I cut you a new-"

She is cut off by a loud thunk as the half-sphere of heavy crystal crashes down on her head. Fiddler crumples, unconscious. Diego quickly scoops up the still-intact Heart as Craig and Zahra cheer from the platfrom, high-fiving each other.

"Pass completed!" Craig crows. "Nice assist, Alodia!" Zahra starts the platform back up again, and they slowly begin descending. Jake grins up at them.

"Nice shot, Skri-" The word seems to get caught in his throat. He grimaces, clutching his ribs. My blood sizzles with alarm.

"Jake? You okay?" He starts to cough, slumping against the crimson leg of the Mech. I cry out. "Jake!"

I hurry to brace him, easing him gently to his knees as the coughs tear from his chest, rough and painful. Michelle is at his other side in an instant.

"It's his lung," she says grimly. She places a hand on his back as he spasms violently. "Nice, slow breaths, Jake. In through your nose, out through your mouth."

Jake struggles to follow her instructions. He trembles violently, his features twisted with pain. I stroke his face gently.

"Just stay with me, okay?" I murmur. "I know it hurts, but just stay with me. Just keep breathing." In a moment or two, he has managed to get his breath back. He stands unsteadily, giving me a shaky smile when I try to support him.

"I'm all right," he says hoarsely.

"We need to get out of here now," I murmur. "You and Sean both need to get someplace safe to rest." If such a place even exists on this godforsaken island, I don't add.

We start across the room, passing the still-unconscious Aleister as we go. At least, he still appears to be unconscious. I can see the rise and fall of his shoulders as he breathes, but he isn't moving. Sean looks mournfully at him.

"...I had hoped he would see the light by now," he says softly.

In the darkness under the terminal, something else catches my eye. I bend down and withdraw a piece of paper. I unfold it carefully and cast my eyes over a note written in elegant, looping script.

My dearest Grace,

I know we will never speak again, but I wanted you to know how much I regret everything. I caused you so much suffering and for that, I'll never, ever forgive myself. I hope only to live long enough to redeem myself in your eyes.

Yours respectfully,

Aleister

"Yo, Alodia. You coming?" Craig calls. I hastily stuff the note into my pocket. I'll show it to Grace once we're safe. This isn't the time.

"Yeah. Sorry." I jog to catch up with the others.

"How are we going to escape?" Grace asks uncertainly.

"Same way we came in," I reply. "Don't worry. We've got a portal that's gonna take us far away from here."

Zahra abruptly stops short. "Problem," she hisses. "That Arachnid jerk's in our way." I look towards the rift on the far side of the room and see Mike standing guard, rifle in hand. His eyes search the shadows for any trace of us.

"That didn't go very well for you last time." The voice comes from across the room, dryly admonishing. "Step blindly through a door, and you'll suffer whatever consequence lies on the other side.

"Wh-who's voice is that?" Estela whispers.

"It sounded like it came from..." My heart drops as the cockpit of the Omega Mech suddenly floods with light.

"Stay, my friends," Everett Rourke sneers from within. "And witness history in the remaking."

"We have the Heart!" Craig taunts, scowling up at him.

"That you do," Rourke replies. "And I have its power."

Conduits on the floor flare to life as blue-white energy flows through them, flooding into the Mech. One massive red foot lifts and plants itself ahead of the other, shaking the earth as it lands.

"Everyone run!" I scream. "To the portal! Now!"

"Father!" Beneath the terminal, Aleister has abruptly come around. He struggles against his bonds, staring up at the Mech with horror in his eyes. "Father, what are you-"

"Be silent!" Rourke snarls. "Sit and watch while I do what Prometheus could not! For the fire of the gods is now mine forever!"

A sphere of roiling blue energy hurtles out of the Mech, streaking towards us, expanding as it goes. I close my eyes and throw my hands up in front of my face, instinctively diving. Electric energy stings my skin and sets every hair on my body on edge as a flash nearly blinds me, even through my eyelids. I roll onto my back and pop to my feet. But when I whirl around, I realize that I was the only one who made it out of the way. Jake, Diego, Estela, Sean, Quinn, Raj, Craig, Zahra, Grace, Michelle, Varyyn, and Kele are trapped inside a pulsing, crackling bubble, apparently frozen in place.

"No!" I sink to my knees, my arms wrapped tightly around my own torso as if bound by a straightjacket. It's the only way I could possibly resist the urge to throw my fists against the wall of energy that keeps me from them.

"You're much too concerned with the material, Alodia," Rourke sneers. "The fleeting. Allow me to liberate you as I've been liberated!"

Within the sphere, my friends are flickering. Fading. The Omega Mech is erasing them from time. One by one, they start to disappear. An inhuman howl of agony and fear tears from my throat.

"Stop!" I double over, sobbing. "Don't do this, Rourke! Please!"

"Grace!" Aleister cries.

"Not to worry," Rourke purrs. "If you want them back, all you'll need is the rest of the Island's Heart. You see, Alodia, with the Heart's power, time is our plaything. You could not only save your friends, but anyone you wish, once, twice, a thousand times over."

But I already have...I've already done that...this was supposed to be the last time, the loop that broke the cycle... Suddenly, a more horrifying thought occurs to me. He knows. Rourke knows. He knows who I am. Who I once became. He knows that I am the Endless...

"Imagine it," he continues, his voice a hiss. "A savior is born!"

Somehow, a frantic clacking breaks through my own screaming thoughts. I turn sharply to see Aleister freed from his bonds and typing frantically into a terminal, a snake-hilted knife clutched in one hand. In front of the portal, Mike abruptly goes limp, slumping to the ground.

"I deleted his programming, Alodia!" Aleister shouts. "Go! Go now!"

I should do as he tells me. But I'm frozen, rooted to the spot. How can I leave without the others? How can I go on alone? Wasn't that why I became the Endless in the first place? ...Is this where it happens?

"Ah, my son," Rourke purrs. "My greatest mistake. Does it give you a measure of solace to see your father triumph?"

"You were never a father to me!" Aleister snarls. "I ruined everything I cared about trying to make a connection with you! You're no god in the machine! You're just a scared, petty little man hoping to bend the world to his whim!"

"Divide and conquer is the family way, Aleister."

Aleister's fingers tighten around the knife in his hand as he looks down at the energy conduits. His breath comes out through gritted teeth, each one a hiss.

"...So it is." In one swift motion, Aleister raises the knife and dives forward, driving the blade into the terminal. A shower of golden sparks erupts from the wound. Wild arcs of blue-white lightning course across the Omega Mech from the damaged conduit. Rourke screams inside the cockpit and his son screams at the console as electricity surges through them both. A burst of energy throws Aleister onto his back, where he lies twitching, a trail of smoke rising from his body. At that same moment, the blue sphere dissipates, and my friends reappear. All of them are unharmed, all of them are returned. They look around, disoriented. I choke on a sob and throw myself at Jake. He catches me and holds me.

"What the hell just happened?"

"Everyone get to the portal!" Diego shouts. I pull away from Jake and push him toward the rift.

"Go! Everyone go!" We make a break for the rift. Jake stops, seeing Mike unconscious on the floor. He hoists his friend onto his shoulders in one swift motion.

"C'mon, you bastard. You'd better be alive after all this." He vanishes into the rift. I stand beside the tear and guide my friends in one by one. Jake, Sean, Estela, Quinn, Raj, Craig, Zahra, Michelle, Kele... I turn back to look at Aleister. He moans, turning his head towards me. Our eyes lock.

"You idiot!" Grace screams. I look sharply at her and realize she's looking at Aleister. "You could have died!"

Aleister raises a shaking hand and gestures at the portal. "Go...go while you still can...I'll...hold them off..." As he struggles to turn himself over and get to his feet, Grace grunts in frustration and runs to help him.

"Get the hell up and come on!" she snaps. "We're not leaving without you!"

"Grace..."

"Come on!" She pulls his arm over her shoulder and braces him. They limp together over to the rift and disappear inside with the others. Diego ushers Varyyn through. He is about to go through himself, but he stops and reaches back to grasp my arm, anxiety in his eyes.

"You're coming too, right? I swear to God, Allie, if I lose you again..."

"I'm right behind you. Promise. Now go!" But just as Diego steps into the wavering portal, I hear Rourke's voice behind me.

"Soon you will understand what you must do, Alodia. But in the meantime, how about a parting...gift?!"

A blue aura bursts to life around the rift. For a moment, I can still see my friends. Then the image begins to distort like a funhouse mirror. The edges of the rift widen to engulf me, and I fall through, my own cry echoing in my ears.

La Huerta

The Eastern Coast

Seraxa, war chief of Elyys'tel, walks purposefully along the strand under the moonlight. On one side of her walks a blue-skinned child with pale, curly hair. On the other, a massive golden-brown feline with fangs like daggers. Seraxa strokes the child's hair gently.

"You and T'kal play on the beach until I return."

"But I want to go diving!" Taari protests. The sabertooth growls deep in his throat, and it sounds like a sigh.

"Taari," Seraxa says warningly. Taari sighs, rolling his eyes.

"Fiiiiine. Come on, T'kal."

"Stay on the sand. Do not go past the cliffs. Do you understand?" Taari picks up a long rope of seaweed and flicks it back and forth over the sand. T'kal drops into a crouch, reaching out with a paw to swipe at it. "Taari! Did you hear me?"

"Yeeeeeees," Taari sighs, pouting. "I'll stay on the sand, but Seraxa better be safe too!"

Seraxa purses her lips, watching them for a moment. Finally, she sighs, and wades slowly into the water. She lets herself breathe slowly and deeply as the water laps its way up her legs, to her hips, her belly, and finally, her chest. She draws in one more deep breath, and dives. She descends swiftly into sea trench, propelled by her powerful legs, her cat-like vision cutting easily through the dark water. Arriving at a patch of oyster shells along the trench wall, she pulls out her knife and begins carving each one free. She does not rush. She has trained for many years to be able to hold her breath for an impressively long time, even for a Vaanti. She works carefully, her emerald-green warrior braids drifting lazily through the water about her head, floating on the warm currents.

A faint green glow begins to bloom on the trench wall. Seraxa ignores it at first, struggling with the last pair of oysters. She stabs at their bases in irritation, and the motions sends vibrations pulsing through the water. The glow on the trench wall is growing stronger. Seraxa suddenly freezes, her nerves sizzling with a warning. Slowly, she turns.

Three heads loom before her. One blue and angular, with horns and glowing slits for eyes. One scarlet with bulging eyes and a lower jaw full of needle-sharp teeth. One green and finned with a snout like an eel. Three heads on three necks that descend onto one scaled, serpentine neck that descends down into the abyss. And each head is at least three times Seraxa's size.

Half her held breath rushes out in a scream smothered by the water. A flood of bubbles drifts towards the surface. The three-headed Cetus roars from his scarlet head, shaking the trench walls. The remaining oysters tumble into the darkness. For once in her life, Seraxa finds herself paralyzed with fear.

Please, she silently begs. Endless...anyone...preserve me...

The three heads bob in the dark water, three pairs of green eyes contemplating their prey. Slowly, they pull back into the abyss, until even the eerie green glow of their eyes is swallowed by the inky blackness. Seraxa wastes no time in kicking to the surface. She breaches with a greedy breath, turning her eyes towards the shore. A fresh knot of cold fear settles in the pit of her stomach.

The beach is empty. Taari and T'kal are nowhere to be seen. Seraxa rushes ashore, dropping her bag of oysters.

"Taari?!" she cries, desperately scanning the treeline. "Taaaaaaaaaariiiiiiiiiiii!"

Mount Atropo

Several hours earlier...

The Endless kneels stands beside a blazing lava pool, a blue-green glow flickering across her weathered face.

"Don't worry," she murmurs. "We're going to return your core to you. Isn't that what you want?"

A voice rises from the pit, echoing off the cavern walls. "All is broken...Broken...all..." The taletell click of a gun being readied comes from somewhere behind the Endless.

"Freeze, Red Riding Hood."

The Endless sighs, a rueful, bitter smile curving her wrinkled lips. "Rex Lundgren. I'd say it was a pleasure, but..."

"I've heard about you," Lundgren growls. "I've got a rifle trained on your head, so no tricks, or I will end this conversation real quick."

"What do you want, Mr. Lundgren," the Endless asks wearily.

"Seems the Island's Heart is incomplete. Where's the rest of it?"

"Scattered..." replies the voice from within the pit. "Lost..."

"I said no tricks!" Lundgren barks.

The Endless curls her mechanical fingers, extinguishing the ball of fire that hovers over her palm. She raises both hands placatingly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she says calmly.

"Like hell you don't!" Lundgren swings his rifle, slamming the butt against the side of the elderly woman's head. The Endless grunts in pain, sinking to her knees. Gasping, she crawls towards the pit, towards the safety of the magma. Lundgren's hand shoots out to grasp her by the hair on the back of her head. She groans, gritting her teeth.

"Lundgren..."

"Alodia's bringing it to you, isn't she?!" he snarls. "Tell me!"

A spectre materializes beside Lundgren, a pale, gleaming figure, with a dark ball of energy stirring at its heart. The darkness spreads through the limbs of the ghostly entity until it glitters like the night sky. Vaanu takes Lundgren's head into its ghostly hands. Lundgren's eyes go wide. His fingers go stiff and straight, releasing the Endless.

"B-but they're dead. I killed them. All of them!" He whimpers, struggling. "I don't wanna see this...Make it stop, dammit! Make it-"

His voice rises in a scream as he pulls away and flees down a tunnel. Vaanu's arms lower to its sides. It turns an eyeless gaze onto the Endless, still curled on the hot ground, struggling to catch her breath. She looks up at Vaanu, blinking.

"...You..."

The spirit fades, leaving the Endless staring into empty air. She turns to cast a glance behind her at the gleaming pool of magma. Something like remorse flickers across her face. She turns sharply away.