The first warning that the Undersiders were on their way was the ground rumbling. I tensed, double checking both my hood and mask were in place. I'd stuffed my sweatsuit in my bag and hidden it further back in the alley, well out of sight. Amy was already unmasked, and I had unmasked to her the first time we met in costume; that wasn't a problem. If Skitter, or worse Tattletale found out though, I might have to kill someone.

  Amy stared at the entry to the alley, arms crossed. She was putting on a tough face, I knew, but I could see the slight shake in her shoulders. I gently bumped mine against hers and offered a smile...which she couldn't see but her scowl seemed to ease a little. She'd tucked her hair under an army surplus hat and pulled it low, making sure people wouldn't recognize her so easily. Maybe it was because I was a little shorter, but it didn't seem too effective.

  My hands found their way to my belt, checking that I had all my weapons. I didn't want to turn this into a fight, but without actually remembering how this went in Worm... Who was I kidding, Amy had said Skitter was coming. The plot, and thus ultraviolence, followed her like her fucking plague of insects. It was just a question of who would start it.

  I was betting the team that suddenly showed up riding the literal hounds of hell. Bitch's hideous things stopped a few steps away from us and I did a headcount, then frowned. Tattletale wasn't here, neither was Regent. Had they split up? Why? I saw Bitch, Grue, and a girl I didn't recognize but was probably one of the Travelers. Since I'd met all of them besides Oliver, who she wasn't, and Noelle, who she definitely wasn't, that made her Genesis.

  “I see you've got the two other horsemen of the apocalypse with you,” Amy said sarcastically, staring up at Skitter. “Where's number four?”

  “Horsemen of the apocalypse?” Skitter asked, shaking her head.

  “Nevermind,” Amy replied as the villain hopped down. Skitter's head turned to me as she approached.

  “Amaranth,” she said flatly.

  “Skitter,” I replied the same. I felt an icy chill down my back and crossed my arms to avoid showing the shiver. “What do you want?”

  “I just came to talk,” she explained, making Amy scoff.

  “Not like we can outrun those dogs,” she said bitterly. “You've got us outnumbered, probably more weapons too. I think you're in a position to do whatever you want.”

  “Good,” Skitter said, turning away. “Because like I said, I just want to talk. I could get rid of my weapons if that would make you feel any better.”

  “It wouldn't, really.” Amy retorted, taking a step back as Skitter cocked her head. I took a half-step forward, fists clenched.

  “Don't,” Skitter said coldly. “I told you I'm here to talk, that doesn't mean I won't fight if I need to.” She straightened up and stared down at me. “Grue, Bitch, can you give us some space? Stay close enough to hear each other shouting.”

  “You sure?” he asked, eyeing us. “Checking the area?”

  “No trouble,” she said, pointedly it seemed. “Not yet.” Grue nodded and he and Bitch led the dogs out of the alley. Once they were gone, she took a sharp breath. “Back off, Amaranth.”

  “Fuck I will,” I retorted. “You said you wanted to talk? Talk.” In the corner of my eye, I saw Amy nod, and Skitter sighed.

  “Alright.” Her head turned to my left. “Why are you in a shelter, Panacea?”

  “Don't call me that,” she snapped.

  “Okay,” Skitter said, raising her hands. “Why are you in a shelter, Amy?”

  “Why is that any of your business?” Amy demanded.

  “Because two of my teammates were just picked by the Nine,” she bit back. “And Jack Slash just started a messed up version of Survivor with the candidates as the players.” I couldn't help rolling my eyes as Amy asked 'Survivor'.

  “They didn't give you the info? You didn't get a paper with a list on it?”

  “If you haven't noticed,” I chimed in, gesturing in the direction of the shelter. “We haven't been trying to be easy to find.” I could practically hear her frown in the swarm's pitch.

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  “They've set themselves a time limit to test and eliminate the seven candidates.” She explained flatly after a moment. “They want to test the candidates and kill the ones who fail, until there's only one left. Our goal is to save them. So when Tattletale figures out you're here instead of with your family, and we know the seventh candidate is a hero, it gets our attention.”

  “Who-- who are the other candidates?” Amy asked.

  “Me, Bitch, Regent, Hookwolf, Armsmaster--”

  “Armsmaster?” Amy interrupted me.

  “Yeah, Mannequin's. He likes fucking with Tinkers.” I glanced Skitter's way as the bugs around us seemed to hum a little louder.

  “Like with Regent,” Skitter said. “Cherish did it to screw with him, not because she thought he'd fit in.”

  “Who's the seventh?” Amy asked.

  “A non-cape. I don't know--”

  “I do,” I replied flatly. “She's fine, should be real safe where she is, right Skitter?”

  “What are you trying to say?”

  “I'm saying,” I said evenly. “She should be safe where she is.” Skitter bristled.

  “Stop it,” she snapped. “You've fucked with me enough, haven't you?” I narrowed my eyes.

  “With what, making sure you couldn't ruin Shadow Stalker's life?” I spat back.

  “You told Jack about me.” I took a half-step back. “Told him I stop him, right?” I felt my face burning.

  “I talked to Jack once, when he nominated me,” I said coldly. “I didn't even fucking think of you Skitter. Besides, you don't stop him, what are you talking about?”

  “Stop bullshitting me,” Skitter growled. I'd never heard bees growl before but that was actually terrifying.

  “This isn't going anywhere,” I deflected, sweat dripping down my back. Fuck you Cherish. The fucking jars would be too good; maybe I could talk to Bonesaw somehow... “You came here for a reason, right?” She stared at me, far too still for anything with a heartbeat, then her head snapped towards Amy.

  “Are you a candidate?” Skitter asked, her previous easy tone gone. Amy shuffled her feet.

  “Bonesaw nominated me.” She answered a moment later.

  “Do you know why?”

  “Why do you think?” Amy's voice was full of bitter guilt. “She thought I'd be a good fit. And because my powers complement hers.”

  “A good fit?” Skitter cocked her head. “That doesn't make sense, not based on my interactions with you.”

  “No?” she retorted sarcastically. “Why wouldn't you have thought? Tattletale told you, I'm the daughter of a villain.” I glanced and saw her flinch, looking at me briefly before turning to Skitter again.

  I stared at Skitter as Amy carried on, guts churning. What had Jack told her? What had Cherish told him? Definitely not about the end of the world, no fucking way Skitter wouldn't have mentioned it. Did Cherish slip and have to cover with something? That would fit the fucking twit, and now she was causing me more issues.

  “I don't think you're a monster,” Skitter said gently, making Amy let out a bitter bark of laughter.

  “No?”

  “Everyone knows how you visit hospitals. How many people have you helped over the past three years? How many people have you rescued from a lifetime of misery?” Don't waste your breath...

  “I hated it,” Amy retorted.

  Skitter seemed surprised, I was a little too. I knew, of course, but the way she spat it was more vicious than I'd ever heard. And hearing her explain it, fuck, she truly despised the fact that she could heal people with a touch. Considering what happened...I couldn't really blame her. Every time she healed Victoria, was she petrified that she would do what she'd done three days ago?

  No wonder her first reaction to me showing up had been fear. She knew I was with the heroes and assumed I was there to take her back...or maybe take revenge. When I'd tossed her a ration and handed her a coffee instead, what had she thought then?

  “Don't,” Amy snapped in response to something probably stupid Skitter said.

  “Don't what?” Skitter asked.

  “Don't make me out to be a good person.” She drew in on herself. “Bonesaw has a better idea of who I am than you do. Maybe I wouldn't have thought so before...but then I fucked up. I proved her right. Every fear I had about being like my dad came true.” I grimaced at the grim explanation.

  “Amy...”

  “So,” she interrupted me. “You're the supposedly good person who was pretending to be a crook, I'm the monster who was pretending to be a hero, but when the dust settled we both wound up being villains. Funny how that works.”

  “Maybe because doing the right thing is hard,” Skitter offered.

  “Usually the hardest,” I agreed with her, for once. Even she seemed a little taken aback.

  “You can do the right thing though,” she continued. “We need your help. I don't know why you left home, I won't ask. But I think you're one of the few people who can stop Crawler, maybe even Siberian too.”

  “Don't get too ahead of yourself,” I countered. “She can't do anything to Siberian.”

  “Why not?” Skitter asked, annoyed. “She's flesh and blood, even if said flesh and blood is invulnerable.”

  “She's a projection,” I explained, knitting my brows. “Like mine but...well, obviously better since she can go further and, you know, kill things.” Granted, my projection could too, but not like that.

  “How do you know?” She whirled on me, towering over my head.

  “You mean you don't?” How could she not know when the Undersiders-- Fuck. “Well, go talk to Tattlebitch about it later. And maybe don't try and press-gang the healer going through hell already.”

  “Don't be stupid,” Skitter snapped. “I'm not recruiting her, I'm trying to protect her. She watches our back, we watch hers. Yours too.” I barely caught her muttered 'for better or worse'.

  “I don't think I can handle being around Tattletale,” Amy said dryly.

  “We're operating as two groups. Tattletale's with--” She choked suddenly, striking at the air behind her. What was-- Skitter suddenly rocketed up, and a heap of white and silver parts landed in front of me. As it slowly put itself together, a chill ran down my spine.

  Mannequin.