"Attack?" Karen rolled out of the interrogation room, lightning crackling in search of a target. For the moment she was denied, as my new friend was out of the fight and cuffed.

Grex's friend the fake desk Sargeant made me regret not being more specific about the condition I wanted him in. Not too much, as clearly he was a murderer, but trials were a thing.

The sound of a slide clearing ever so slowly had both Grex and I moving again; the sound had come from the cells.

I almost beat Grex there before I slowed down. "Try and keep them alive and in one piece Grex."

"Understood." His answer was just a bit slow to me. He had to be sandbagging.

Not that it really mattered. Soon there was shouting, all of which was too slowed down for me to understand, and pops still recognizable as gunfire.

There were still screams too.

Karen was just getting up as I flowed through the door, staying low. Some of the prisoners were dead; our attackers didn't seem to care just where they aimed as Grex tore into them. Two people in mismatched armor both with sub-machine guns (Some uzi knockoff?) were in the hallway between the cells. One was currently in the process of emptying theirs, and the other was doing their best pretzel impersonation under Grex's gentle hands.

I winced but Grex moved again before I could do more, taking the bullets heading down the hall like a champ. I leaned down to check the first gunman, beginning to feel the strain of keeping time flowing faster. Or maybe that was my injury; normally this much wouldn't be a problem.

The man had two broken arms. Broken as in, both the bones in each arm were broken multiple times. His hands didn't look quite right either, but there was no doubt he was out of the fight. Well, unless he could stand up without arms and then kick us unconscious. His gun was in pieces, so that was a plus.

I slowed down a bit; not being able to understand the words other people were shouting was more than a little annoying, and Grex seemed to have everything under control.

"Snow, what's going on?" Karen asked; she still hadn't cleared the interrogation block.

"More gunmen. Some of the prisoners got hit."

Grex had broken the arms of the second gunman but I could still hear gunfire.

"Can you get a call out? We seem to be under a full attack here."

"Trying, lines in here are cut and my cell isn't working."

Grex was heading to the garage. To back him up or call for backup?

My own cell wasn't working either, so that cut my options. I moved to the garage doorway, ignoring the prisoners; I couldn't help them anyway. This time in order to sneak a glance I got on the floor and rolled across.

There were multiple gunmen, some using the cheap sub-machine guns like the ones Grex had disabled, while others were using m4's. Which was more than a little worrying, because only SWAT or ADTF were as well armed as these guys.

Who had bankrolled them? They were clearly an organized group. I hesitated to say ex-military, but there was clearly some training involved.

Grex was mowing through them, he already had another down, but they weren't panicking at seeing the dark blur in their midst.

"Take this, demon!" was easy to decipher, but what was the point of throwing water?

Either way, it missed, and Grex was on his way to dismantle the source. When said source dumped the water on himself rather than panic, I shook my head. The wrong move, even if that stuff was holy water.

At least it marked out who the group was, as clear as day. The name wasn't even important anymore.

"Karen! Fanatics with guns!"

"Perfect, just what I need to make my day complete!" She snarked back. "Phones are down, all cut or jammed!"

"I count four in the garage, three active."

Karen finally crouched into position behind me, with Thor right behind her. She promptly risked a glance of her own.

"Well, shit. This is pretty bad timing all around, isn't it?"

I couldn't help but agree. "Yep; looks like Grex can mop it up on his own well enough."

Karen nodded. "The smart thing to do would be to let him do his thing. The fanatics never did find a way to fight demons; rather ironic in a way."

If they had I could be in college right now, learning calculus or forensics and racking up thousands in debt. That sounded like a much better use of my time, to be honest.

"I hate to say it, but I think there are probably more of them." I tried to control my anger. More fanatics meant more dead cops and possibly dead civilians. My people, now. I couldn't be sure with all the echoing in the garage, but I thought I heard more gunfire from outside.

There was also the very real question of why no uniforms had responded to the gunfire in the basement; it wasn't as if the garage entrance was the only one. There was probably a distraction in effect somewhere, and any distraction these loons made was going to be violent.

Grex strode back into view, giving the all clear, just a few specks of blood marring his suit. "All who would attack you are crippled, as you requested Mistress."

"Great. Did you hear any of them outside?"

"Several my Mistress."

Right, he wouldn't volunteer, that would leave me vulnerable.

"I must say, hearing you two talk like chipmunks on speed never gets old," Karen informed us.

Such was the insight from my older and far more experienced superior on the police force.

"Shouldn't you be taking charge right about now? I mean, I'm off duty here, officially, and you outrank me besides."

Karen rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll do it. Thor, you're up."

I briefly wondered what it said about us that we were willing to effectively release demons on our fellow man just because our lives were in danger. Parallels could be drawn there; parallels I did not like one bit. At least Grex hadn't killed anyone except to defend my life. True, anyone he had attacked since the first guy wouldn't be playing concert piano again, but they were alive.

What Karen did was up to Karen; she was a big girl and could manage her own sins.

Ugh, I didn't want to do this; demons were one thing, but hurting or killing humans, even idiotic humans that were killing other humans, just wasn't something I wanted to do. But if I didn't, and more civilians died as a result of armed fanatics while I did nothing... well I couldn't live with that either.

I pointed and Grex led the way. "You should summon the twins."

"Why?" We could handle a few terrorists, even if they had bombs. Speeding up one's own time made it possible to race an explosion or two... in theory. If I had warning. I was confident I'd survive better than the regulars at any rate. Another concern was there were few summoners in the building itself, usually all but one would be on patrol.

Outside there were several more gunman, thankfully dressed less like cops and less well armed. That didn't stop them from being every bit as enthusiastic.

Any person they saw, they shot at. In between the shots were yells such as "Such are the wages of sin." and "Demon's whore."

The latter aimed at Karen of course, who was bunkered down and shutting the reinforced garage blast door, letting Thor do all the work. Luckily their aim was trash; all the shots went into the wall.

There was a priest out there, gun in hand, shouting loudly to 'smite the evil'. Thor seemed to take a little longer electrocuting him then the first couple of gunmen, but maybe that was my imagination.

Except it wasn't; I had some mastery of time after all. The remaining gunmen didn't waste time, and instead took cover where they could, not that it would help them much. Cars and buses were conductive after all.

What could help them was the blade which came down like an edged hammer of God and smote Thor out of the air, burying itself into the concrete sidewalk right mere inches from the fallen priest.

Karen screamed; I had to snag her before she rushed out. Early retirement would agree with her more than death.

"Grex, you were right. Move. Abnex, Sarex, Veni huc!"

The twins materialized to either side of me, facing away and with their weapons already out.

"About time," Abnex said.

"We've been keeping tabs on you, mistress," Sarex continued.

I didn't waste time. "The one who injured me is out there. Find them and stop them. Disable them if you can."

I didn't want to give the next escalation of that order. While I didn't want to just say what the thing opposing us was, that was a far cry from killing or destroying it or whatever would happen.

"God is with us! Forward, kill the heretics and false defenders!"

"Got it," the twins chorused and moved as one, spiraling out of the half-closed garage drop door as if it was an open window, they fell on the angel as he landed to retrieve his sword. Grex came flashing in from the other side in what had to be a coordinated strike.

Three blades moving faster than anything had a right to swept in - and only hit each other as the angel swept up again, sword in hand.

Over the din, I heard the angel's voice clearly. "Good. I had hoped that was you I had seen arrive. One more to send to Hell."

He was looking at Grex, but he was talking about me; I just knew it. Had he staked out the fanatics? Or riled them up and led them here... and waited for me to show?

I didn't like either of those options.

With the angel distracted at least, I could do something about the gunmen surging back towards us. The covering fire was going to be a problem, however, even as fast as I was moving.

"Karen, I need your help here. I need you to recall Thor, and use him to protect us."

Thor was missing a wing and in an obviously bad way, but he was moving at least a little bit and that would be enough. Probably anyway - there was something going on with how he was moving, how slow and careful he was being and how every few seconds he twitched that did not inspire me to great confidence.

Karen nevertheless recalled him, and sitting in front of us he at least looked imposing. Despite the hit he'd taken, I doubted the rank and file gunmen could finish the job; if they had something capable of it, they would have used it already. If they were the normal fanatic, their only target was us.

Karen was safe at least. I started dialing my speed up again - and used that extra speed to remove and pocket two earrings. The rush of power was welcome. I looked up to find the world almost still - and my three demons staring at me.

Oh, there was a light show. Great.

The angel wasn't too far behind in looking right at me, but my team had already gone eyes front and was keeping him busy. How exactly he was managing to look away for a second and survive that against three demons who were moving so fast was beyond me, but he was.

At least he had a few cuts; he wasn't invincible. It was just going to take a bit more than he was facing right now. Of course to my eyes, he looked to be bleeding light. I wondered what Karen or any fellow summoners would make of that; it certainly wasn't the blood, ichor, or ash demons customarily bled.

Joining that mess was risky; I'd be targeted the moment I was in range. What could I really bring to that fight? How could I help? I was still light on attack magic, and I didn't have a sword. I'd only been in melee range before because there was no choice... but maybe with earrings off it would be different? I drew my athame.

My first strike was launched straight in between my three demons and took many of the properties of a drive-by. I almost had the blade torn from my hands as I went by, but the blade did sink in to the hilt and more light blood spurted.

The angel also staggered from it and the next two strikes nailed him as well.

I really should have been paying attention to the bus. Guns popped out of it, some aimed my way, some aimed in the direction of my demons. My demons ignored them of course, but I couldn't afford to; luckily by this point, I could dodge with ease, and since it looked like my minions had things well in hand by this point, I dodged well away and under cover.

Some of my fellow officers were returning fire from the now shattered windows of the lobby, which didn't seem to be doing much. Maybe I should get a gun for situations like this; not every enemy I faced was to be a demon it seemed. But perhaps it was better not to give in to temptation.

Then the bus started up, and I knew that was all kinds of bad thing. Unfortunately, while I could now run in between bullets, I couldn't do much to open the reinforced door - which meant I had to bail before the terrorist's aim caught up or the bus slammed into the not quite shut garage door. I couldn't even yell a warning to Karen in time, it would just be a high pitched screech.

Luckily she appeared to not need it; she wasn't in sight as the bus tore through the metal and ground to a stop. Thor wasn't in sight either, they were probably behind one of the humvees. The door to the bus opened, and I was halfway to it before the sporadic fire started again... this time from my own, fanned out behind our vehicles. I reversed course fast enough to trip, recovered, and got behind cover all in what had to be a tenth of a second.

Perhaps I was going a bit too fast. It wouldn't do to get ventilated by my own reinforcements who didn't even know I was there.

Lightning which pegged the first guy to step off the bus revealed where Karen was; I made my way to her by way of the wall, behind our troops. I was glad to see they were all recognized faces of the ADTF.

The next guy off the bus had a heavy shield; a few people slid out behind him and found cover before Karen nailed him; the back emergency door opened and a few more slid out that way. I sidled up next to Aims as slowly as I could; I must have done it right because he ignored me and popped a terrorist in the foot.

Then as the man fell screaming, Aims shot a second time and the screaming stopped.His voice was too low and too slow to understand, so I slowed down a bit more; just in time to catch the most of it.

" ...better be you, Snow, I'm too pretty to die."

"It's me," I assured him. "I just wanted to make sure you knew I was here, and not to shoot me."

"Ha, that's adorable. You sound like one of those animated chipmunks when you talk like that." Aims told me, putting another shot into a terrorist helmet.

"Yeah screw you too. People can't shoot what they can't track."

"I can shoot anything," Aims told me. "But you won't have to worry. We all know you're here now and what you're doing. I'd recommend you stay well out of this, though; there's no demon to fight. We can handle this."

"The demon is outside, Grex is keeping him busy."

"Good to know," Aims replied.

Something was thrown at our position from the inside of the bus - dynamite?!? I grabbed Aims before it landed and dragged him out of the way by pure fear inspired force. The stick was enough to lift the car - and set it on fire. It definitely would have been enough to kill us both had I waited for it.

"Why didn't you just slow it down or put out the wick or something?" Aims sputtered at me, switching to his pistol and pinning the thrower down.

"Because that's some risky crap, and I wasn't sure I could pull it off!" Seriously, was he insane? The car wasn't worth a life, no matter how expensive. But it was a cheap Kia anyway, so screw it.

What I could do was speed up again, wait a bit, and then... heh.

"Wait, let him throw if he has another; stop pinning him down, I got this."

"Alright, trust," Aims said and switched targets.

The mad bomber did indeed have another one; as I saw him stick an arm out the window and rear the bomb back, I sped up again, ran up - and body checked it back into the bus. The brief contact with me was enough to speed the fuse or timer or whatever it was using; the explosion was immediate.

I was fast enough to give the force a good race, but the bus was armored so it didn't matter either way; the force stayed mostly in the bus itself, and the worst I had to dodge was shattered glass.

I felt a bit like that guy in that movie as I did; it was too bad no one could see me dance through it all unscathed.

I tried not to think about all the people I'd just killed.

With the bus done as both a source of firepower and cover my friends could easily mop this up; it was time to go back outside. I hadn't felt my link with Grex fade and I was still moving stupidly fast, so he was still alive... but the twins could both be down, and that would be my fault too.

They weren't of course; with a start, I realized I was moving much faster than all of the other combatants, and the few gunmen that I'd left out front were still out front. I was beginning to feel the burn, however.

The angel was still up and fighting, but he had to be feeling the burn too; he had wounds all over him. Sarex was down with a wound in her stomach, with Abnex standing over her warily. Grex had a long cut bleeding liquid fire down an arm but it didn't appear to hamper him any.

I could aim another strike at the angel, but I'd killed more than enough today.

While I hesitated, drawing back my power and slowing down, the angel drew back and punched Grex; Grex fell back three steps and brought his weapon up, but the angel didn't follow up. Instead, he turned to me.

"You will not win here, demon lord," he said, spitting the words with surprising venom as he brought his sword in line with me. "It is clear that this attack has failed, but we will not rest until your plans are exposed and this area purged of your corruption. You...."

The angel stopped mid-sentence as a small beam of pure darkness pierced it from above. Something happened, something in existence bent, and the angel dissolved as if it was never really there at all. What had happened? I hadn't done that; Grex nor Abnex had done it, and Sarex was still on the ground groaning, her wound smoking.

The angel's sword followed suit, dissolving from the blade up. I blinked the afterimage of the bright spectacle from my vision.

A clatter of guns hitting the ground hit my ears as I finally released my power, looking around. Karen's eyes met mine as she stalked from cover at me.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. Come on, that bolt or beam or whatever it was came from inside the building."

I knew what she was saying of course, but it made no sense. "What building?"

"Our building," she replied.

We went in through the garage entrance. The bus was still burning merrily, just like the car that had been bombed. The survivors were being rounded up and treated.

I caught a snatch of conversation. "So not a single one died in the explosion?"

"Nah. A few hurt so badly that they no doubt wish they had, but not a single one dead, even the bomber. I'd hesitate to call it a miracle, but...."

So I hadn't actually killed anyone. That - was a relief. Scars and wounds could heal, and even lost limbs could be replaced or worked around; death was permanent. I'd make the choice again, but knowing even these misguided fools hadn't lost their lives due to me was comforting.

We headed up and through the swarms of uniforms giving first aid to the injured or questioning. In more than one case Karen growled at passersby, and I had to hurry along to catch up. We took the stairs, of course, there was no way the elevators wouldn't be packed. That didn't help Karen's mood at all.

"So how's Thor?" I was acutely aware of Grex still behind me, still bleeding with his arm hanging limp and not seeming inconvenienced in the slightest."

"He's fine," Karen replied, biting off the words. "He's resting now, because something, some angel or demon or whatever, took his wing off with a sword."

"Sorry."

Karen sighed and stopped so fast I almost ran into her. "Look, it's not your fault. I just... something is very wrong here. There was a demon that looked like an angel or something, and now someone we know is sandbagging. Someone other than you that is; I don't blame you for doing it, we all save an ace card or two, but I'm just... I don't know."

I declined to tell her I told her so on the angel. "Well, that makes the two of us - and as far as an ace, necessity is the mother of invention."

That was my story and I was sticking to it. If Karen really knew what I was capable of, she would... well I'd probably be locked in a cellar somewhere and studied. That had happened before, I'd read some of the classified files; my mom had almost been locked up, and I bet somewhere in my jacket, hidden from me, were words to the same effect.

My loose earrings burned in my pocket; I didn't dare draw more attention to their lack of presence lest very awkward conclusions were drawn. But enough about me; what had that beam been, and who had thrown it? I'd sensed the power of it; that thing had... burned something that should not have burned, somehow, for lack of a better term.

I spared a look at Grex, to find him bandaging his still bleeding arm. He met my gaze and shook his head to my unspoken question; I'd be getting no answers from that quarter then.

Baron came rushing down the stairs and stopped as soon as he saw us. "It's over then?"

"No thanks to you," Karen shot at him. "We could have used your help. Were you at the offices?"

"I just came from there, why?" Baron answered, narrowing his eyes and taking in my presence. Karen had a passable command voice.

"Come on. Was anyone else there?"

"A few," Baron answered her as he fell in. "Why?"

"You didn't do anything, did you? Watch the fight from the offices?"

Baron shook his head. "You can't see anything from that high up. I tried to see what was happening for a minute, then realized it was an attack and geared up. Evidently, I took too long...?"

Karen nodded. "Yeah, you missed it. So who was in the office when you left?"

"Why?" Baron asked.

"Because something happened and it looked like it came from our offices, and I want to know who did it."

Baron turned to me. "Do I even want to know?"

I was only too happy to shoot him down. "Not really."

I mean, he had a vest on under his robe. Under his robe! What good was a vest going to do him that is robe wouldn't? And if that bulge there wasn't a gun, I'd eat my cowl. Gearing up my foot, he had been excusing himself.

We hit the top of the stairs and looked around to find our office empty. Karen wasted no time heading to the windows facing the street; all of them were large unbreakable things you saw gracing skyscrapers or even just large office buildings the world over.

Except something was wrong with one of them, and I could sense it from here.

The first thing was the air pressure and heat, the building's central air was on and working, but the air didn't hold that canned quality that made it usually did. Instead, there was an element of movement and humidity on the floor which wasn't normal.

As we got closer it was more obvious; one of the windows, the one directly facing over the battle that had just concluded in such an anti-climactic manner, had a hole in it. A hole about the diameter of a quarter, bleeding cool air with a sound not unlike that of a plane cabin depressurizing. There was no smoke and no melted residue; the hole looked to be perfectly shaped and as much a part of the window as the glass was.

Karen turned to Baron. "Was anyone standing here when you left?"

Baron's answer was quick, but a little perplexing. "There were a few; the Captain, Aims, a secretary...."

Baron froze mid-sentence.

I followed his gaze - and saw Cords, walking toward us, hands in the pockets of his rumpled uniform.

He was walking through the desks as if they didn't exist.

"And me. You were about to mention me, weren't you Baron?" Cords asked. It was his voice.

Baron said nothing and did not move. Cords turned to me and I felt the full force of his gaze, his attention, his majesty, slamming into me; I locked my knees.

Cords smiled. "Hello, Maeve. Good to see you again." Those eyes... yellow and slitted, like an animal's; those were not Cord's baby blue eyes.

"Who are you?" I managed to ask, keeping my tone civil and voice light. Whoever this was.

I reached for my athame, and Grex's hand locked mine in place.

"Oh come now, Maeve. I think you know. If you don't, you can at least figure it out. I'm someone who has waited a very long time to see you, face to face - in a manner of speaking."

Not Cords stepped up and cupped my chin for a moment before I managed to draw away. It felt as if I were being pressed on by all the weight of the world. "You do not disappoint, my little madness."

"What do you mean? What happened to Cords?"

Not-cords waved the question off with a warm smile, stepping closer again. "Oh, Cords is no more; he has shuffled off this mortal coil many months ago. In truth, You and he never really met; but fear not for at least some of the man is with me."

He reached again and I retreated again, bumping my backside on the glass window behind me. Dead - dead for months? How long? The gaming, the museum? Had he been impersonating Cords the entire time?

"Come now Maeve, you need not play hard to get."

"If you were Cords this long, why reveal yourself now?"

Not Cords whipped around and his glare was a physical thing - before it relented and softened.

"Simple, some silly little bird worm, some flying dog, dared to point his weapon at my lovely. Some insults just cannot be borne."

There was no doubt not Cords was making a point there, and it was one Karen received.

"Also," not Cords continued. "I must confess this skinsuit is wearing thin, even with all the steps I've taken to ensure it's long life."

"But.. why?" Why all this?

Not Cords turned back to me, and he moved.

As fast as I could be, his arms were around me before I could begin to react. Rather than interfere, Grex stepped away. "Why to get to know you, my dear. And also to test you of course; I will not allow just anyone at my side, despite whatever you may have heard. I am... exacting. Or so I am told."

All that death, all those souls consigned to Hell, for this? Just to get to know me?

"You could have just asked."

Not Cords... no, the morning star, Lucifer himself, threw back his head and laughed. "Ah, but my dear Madness, where is the fun in that? These last few months have been more entertaining than... well, I have been more amused lately than in a long time. You never fail to deliver; I think it's your innocence I love the most."

He drew himself closer and... sniffed me, drawing it out. "Ahhh. You know, I used to scoff at love. Or rather, mortal love; But now I think I understand it, and what it means."

I was being held, but I was cold. Please God, please don't let him be saying what he's saying. Please just let me be insane and imagining this. Maybe I was dead, and this was my Hell? Simple Limbo wasn't enough, I had to have.. this?

Not Cords put a hand through my hair. "Ah, your confusion and disgust at this moment. Come now my little madness, do not be so cold. I might actually be more than simply fond of you, you should rejoice."

He was not looking my direction as he said that, but Karen's.

I had to try; he liked me right? At least a little bit? "Don't... please don't hurt her. Don't hurt any of them, please."

Not Cord's eyes and smile both widened, showing perfect teeth. "Ah, my little madness, you are too good for this world! On the contrary, it is not these worms you should worry over - but that is a conversation for another time when my own time is not as short. It seems that when you destroy a lapdog of God, you draw the attention of other lapdogs."

Not Cord's hand reached down my robe, grasping my rings. He carefully stood me up and gently put my earrings back in my ears.

"There. Now keep them in. No need to shake like that! I'll not hurt you. Try and lay low the next several days; I will be watching."

Not Cords stepped back, waved, and exploded from the inside out in a shower of gore.