To the police officers' credit, they kept at least somewhat calm as Luke approached them wearing the robe he'd looted from the Archfiend, black as night with runes of gold and purple. He knew how it made anyone who as much as looked at him want to turn away, their attention unable to latch on to him. The effect was stronger in monsters, but he must have appeared like the grim reaper himself as he placed his feet with care not to step on one of the many Integrated he'd put to sleep mere seconds before the cops showed up.

  "You should leave this building," Luke said, raising his hands into the air to show he carried no weapon. His staff was on the ground farther up, but that piece of metal didn't increase his effectiveness in combat. If anything, it made him less effective. Threads of Mana and Needle of Life were all the weapons he needed, but he still wasn't quite ready to give up on the staff, not yet.

  "Stop right there!" the closest cop said, a younger guy, pale except for his flushed face, which had turned beet red. A newbie, Luke figured.

  "My friend is being held hostage," Luke said, keeping his voice calm. "I need to get to her."

  The cop blinked. "What?"

  That was all the opportunity Luke needed. None of the three spotted his thread of mana, and while two of them got shots off as soon as Luke used Weavestep, they were much too late. Since they weren't Integrated, they did not possess mana channels. That also meant they were slow. So slow, in fact, that it, to Luke, felt like they were moving through syrup when he made the lunge necessary to get in reach of their necks. From there, Weaver's Rupture worked just as well on non-Integrated as with his previous opponents.

  "Strong," Luke mumbled to himself as he raced up the stairs, plucked the staff from the ground and put it into his inventory, then continued. Dot and Alan were still far above him, higher up in the building, but now the stairs were cleared of threats, at least for the moment.

  A quick glance at his phone told him everything he needed to know about the status of his friends. This might just work, though. From experience, he knew that Alan would have several more obstacles in place. The final hurdle would be getting Dot away from him before one of the many Jumpers in his employ just whisked her away again. As if on cue, the man Luke was hunting made contact again.

  Alan: "Dorothy is not under duress. She is with the guild of her own free will."

  Luke: "Bullshit!"

  Outgoing messages are not possible at this time.

  Luke gritted his teeth.

  Alan: "Be reasonable, Luke."

  "You tried to have me killed!" Luke shouted into the empty staircase, the words echoing off the bare walls.

  Dot: "They're saying you've gone mad. Luke, what's going on?"

  Luke: "Dot?"

  Outgoing messages are not possible at this time.

  "Gah!"

  Alan: "I have big plans for this city. We can put all this behind us. You don't have to die today."

  A few floors up, Smudge waited for him.

  Luke stopped next to him, happy to see a familiar face. Familiar patch of dog-shaped darkness. "Smudge? Where did you run off to?" Narrowing his eyes, he fired off another question. "Did you get bigger again?"

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  The creature radiated satisfaction but made no answer. Well, of course, he didn't. Smudge didn't know how to speak. Happy as a clam, the voidling leapt at him and disappeared into the Stable without Luke having done a thing. Sighing, Luke continued racing up the stairs. Smudge just brought about more questions every time he appeared. Now, the little critter had apparently learned how to go back into Luke's interface whenever he wished. So many questions, so little time. Once this whole debacle was over, there would be time for some peace and quiet, time for some answers. At least Luke hoped so.

  Alan: "The FBI is on the way. Attacking police officers is not a good look, but I can talk to the authorities."

  Relaxing his jaw for fear of grinding down his teeth from all the gritting in frustration he was doing, Luke increased his pace even more. Almost flying up the stairs, he reached the 28th floor. Stopping, Luke glared at the closed metal door. Beyond it, Dot waited for him. Alan was right there, too. After drawing a deep breath in a vain attempt to center himself, Luke threw open the door, expecting to come under fire the moment he stepped through the opening.

  Beyond, a large number of Integrated of all types, and even several police officers, waited in silence, lined up between Luke and Alan, who stood near a windowless wall off to the right. Sharp blue light bathed the silent scene.

  "Clever idea to turn off the electricity in the building," Alan said, breaking the silence as he spoke in a calm but authoritative tone. "That stunt disabled several defensive measures. I do wonder how you found out about the core-powered generators. Removing that core should have been impossible, but you are one who does the impossible on a daily basis, I suppose."

  Shooting off a quick text message, Luke didn't have the faintest idea what Alan was talking about, but it didn't matter. Even with all those people standing in the way, he saw who he'd come for.

  "Dot," he said, putting the phone away.

  She stood right next to Alan, her left hand crossed over her stomach to grab the other, and she was squeezing hard, like she was restraining herself. Rather than seeing happiness on her face, as he'd expected, he registered the opposite. Sorrow.

  "Why are you doing this, Luke?"

  He blinked. "Doing what?"

  "Attacking guild members! Hunting Alan! You even shut off your communication gem so I couldn't reach you! What has gotten into you?!"

  Brow furrowed, he took a step forward, causing the Integrated guards to twitch, hands reaching for weapons.

  "Alan has done his best to kill me, Dot. He's been keeping you prisoner, along with a lot of others. The man next to you is not who he seems. You have to see that."

  "Please just stop," Dot said, shaking her head. "Let me take a look at you with Weaver's Eye. If there's something wrong inside, perhaps I can help you."

  Luke's gaze left her and settled on Alan. "What did you do to her?"

  "He has been nothing but a gentleman to me," Dot said, raising her voice. "The guild is finding people for me to heal, helping me practice and gain levels. They've been protecting me, protecting both of us."

  Alan took a step forward. "You know her words are true. Without the considerable resources of ISG, you would both have to look over your shoulders for the rest of your lives. The people after you... If only you knew. Surrender to my guards, and we will make sure you receive the best of care. I'm sure the police can be reasoned with."

  The cops just stood there, frozen, their eyes empty.

  Alan: "Surrender, or I'll be forced to give Dorothy a swift end. Fight."

  Luke narrowed his eyes. "How about you and me go somewhere and talk in private?"

  "I don't believe that will be necessary," Alan said without missing a beat.

  "Fine. Dot, I'll let you examine me. If you find something wrong, I'll surrender. How does that sound?"

  "No," Alan said. "We can arrange something after you have surrendered."

  "I'm fine with doing it here. Luke would never hurt me," Dot protested.

  Alan: "This is your last warning. Your friends didn't reach you in time, Luke. You have shown that you are capable in combat, but you can't hope to defeat everyone before my jumpers pull Dorothy and me from this place. The moment we jump, she is dead."

  "Coward," Luke spat. He drew in a deep breath, steeled himself, swallowed hard, then shouted. "Now!"

  Alan's eyes widened as a tentacle of shadow gave him a good shove forward. In that same moment, Dot rose into the air and found herself yanked toward the closest window. The glass shattered, and Ray, still invisible, threw himself and her through it. The Integrated under Alan's control reacted as one, half of them charging toward Luke and the other half to Alan's aid, but they were too late. Searing light emanated from Alan's chest, cutting through Hannah's shadow, but not before she gave him another shove.

  More Integrated stormed into the open space from closed offices, appearing as if from nowhere, charging toward Luke as if their lives depended on Alan's survival. Luke hoped it wasn't so, because that bastard would not live to see another sunrise.

  Jumpers appeared right where Alan had been standing. There were three of them, all with looks of confusion on their faces. They'd expected to be able to pull their boss to them, but had found themselves unable to grasp him through whatever means they used. The plan had worked. Josh, the Jumper who'd taken Luke to New York, told him a nice tidbit of information. Anyone pulled through a jump would need to stand on a pre-planned location. Hannah's shove moved Alan out of the way. It was just about doing it in a way he wouldn't see coming. Powerful abilities can sometimes be toppled by the simplest of methods.

  Now the real test would begin. If a Jumper touched Alan, they would be able to take him and run. Luke would not let that happen, could not let that happen. If he lost sight of the man now, he might never catch him again. A man like Alan did not make the same mistake twice. Luke ran toward his prey.