A happy sigh escaped Amy’s lips as I dug my fingers into her scalp. I’d long since stopped paying attention to the TV, not finding it nearly as entertaining. She was splayed across the couch, head resting on my thighs. I was sure it was uncomfortable laying on a stick figure like me, but Amy hadn’t complained yet.

  The windows rattled and I snapped my head up, sighing when I realized it was just the wind. Winter was well on the way, and I’d called two patrols short because of weather. Needed to figure out what Nadir and I were doing for cold weather costumes, preferably waterproof if we could swing it. Actually, I had an expert currently laying on my lap so…

  “Hey Amy?” I said, getting a sleepy groan in response. “Hey can I ask you a question?”

  “You can ask me two or three if you keep doing what you were doing,” Amy sighed, eyes still shut. I chuckled and continued scratching her scalp, making her hum happily.

  “You know about costumes and stuff right?” I asked, getting a slow nod. “So...like, what do you do about winter?”

  “It’s usually not too bad,” she said. “Just wear heavier clothes under your costume.”

  “That’s...not the best option for me and Nadir,” I replied.

  “Mmm, guess not,” she said. “Could try treating your costumes, they sell waterproofing stuff at most sports stores. If you put on like, thermal underwear under it, you should be okay.”

  “Makes sense,” I said, leaning down and kissing her cheek. “Thanks love.”

  “You’re welcome,” Amy said, turning and smiling up at me. A moment later, I pressed my lips to hers. When I pulled back, I saw a sparkle in her eyes. “You know you look pretty good like this.”

  “Oh yeah?” I said, cupping her cheek as a grin touched my lips. “I guess I’m not usually looking down at you, huh?”

  “You could stand to do it more,” she said mischievously. I chuckled and leaned down to kiss her again and—

  “We interrupt you’re regularly scheduled programming for breaking news!” I jumped and smacked my forehead straight into Amy’s.

  “Fuck!” I swore.

  “God dammit,” Amy groaned as I glared at the TV.

  My jaw dropped when footage of the Simurgh floating over the ocean appeared on screen. Amy made a squeak of fear as the news anchor explained the attack, or what little they knew about it. We watched silently for nearly half an hour, Amy clinging tightly to me the whole time. Had it already been that long since Behemoth?

  Apparently the answer was yes. My gaze wandered and fell on the date at the top corner of the screen. Twenty-fifth of November. I could go back and warn everyone if—

  No, abso-fucking-lutely not. For one, I’d managed to survive for months without even a hint of a reset. Losing that was just...I didn’t even want to think about it. Besides, if it was like last time I’d purposely sent myself back, I’d lose minutes rather than hours or days; totally useless for warning anyone about an attack like this.

  If it was just consistent, maybe I’d feel better about trying. As it was, there was no good reason to throw myself off the roof for the slim chance of going back far enough to make a real difference. Instead I held Amy tightly, trying to figure out what came next.

  Last Endbringer attacked in August with Behemoth, three months ago roughly. So then, what, Leviathan would be back in February? I pursed my lips, wracking both my brain and the shitty mess of neurons with the same name as my girlfriend to figure it out.

  Weren’t there other Endbringers, besides the three I’d grown up with? The other Amy thought so. The description of ‘fat baby’ came to mind almost unbidden, and I had to suppress a bark of laughter at how stupid it sounded. Endbringers were no laughing matter, but come the fuck on. No idea what it could do either, which was less than ideal. Still...should probably talk to someone about it.

  “Hey I need to make a call,” I said, gently patting Amy’s shoulder. “Let me up?”

  “Who?” Amy asked as she rose from my lap.

  “Dragon or Defiant,” I replied, standing and pulling out my phone. “Might have remembered something.” A grim look came over her and she nodded once. I headed into our bedroom and quickly dialed Miss Militia’s number.

  “Amaranth, make it quick,” she answered on the first ring.

  “I need to get in touch with Dragon,” I said. “I don’t have her number, do you?”

  “Is this about the—”

  “Yes, it’s what we’re watching on TV,” I cut her off. “So?”

  “I’ll transfer you myself,” she said. The line cut off, and I checked just to make sure she hadn’t hung up on me.

  “Amaranth, please be brief,” Dragon’s voice filtered through my phone.

  “There’s another Endbringer coming,” I said, hearing a gasp behind me. I turned and saw Amy, pale and shaking slightly. I took her arm and led her to the bed, sitting beside her and squeezing her tight around her back.

  “I need as much information as you can provide,” Dragon replied, artificial voice thick with tension.

  “I think it’s on schedule,” I said. “So not soon or anything. I don’t really remember what it can do either just that...it’s kind of a fat baby?” There was a long pause.

  “I don’t take kindly to pranks,” Dragon said coldly.

  “This isn’t a joke,” I snapped. “Use Defiant’s lie detector bullshit, or maybe take the word of the girl who called out Behemoth.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “And yet you were silent on the Simurgh,” she said.

  “Because I had no clue when or where she was going to attack,” I retorted. “I don’t with this new one either, but at least I can tell you it is going to happen.”

  “”Do you have any other details?” Dragon demanded. “Powers, scale, vulnerabilities?”

  “It’s big, that’s about all I have,” I sighed, scratching my head. “I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you for the information,” she said after a moment. “If you remember anything else, please do not hesitate to contact me.”

  “Sure thing.” The line clicked and I dropped my phone on the mattress, sighing.

  “What’s going on?” Amy asked fearfully. “What was that about another Endbringer?”

  “This...reminded me,” I said hesitantly. “Reminded me the future’s coming. In a few months, there’s going to be a new Endbringer showing up. Might be other ones too but...it’s fuzzy.” One read of the story and an interdimensional transplant into my head did not make for easy recollection. Unless… “Can you help? I know brains are a no-go but...I don’t know, is the risk worth it?” She chewed her lower lip, staring at the ground. Her mouth opened, then shut, then she took a deep breath.

  “I don’t think so,” she said, her voice quiet and husky. “I just...I don’t know enough about it, any of it. And after what happened last time, yeah, I think I should leave well enough alone. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” I replied, shaking my head. “I should just remember right, it’s not your problem.” She settled onto my shoulder with a sigh.

  “You shouldn’t blame yourself,” Amy blurted after a moment. “It’s not really your fault. The stuff in your brain, it’s messy maybe because of you...dying. I think anyone would have trouble with that crap.”

  “Well, thanks for the vote of confidence,” I said, kissing the top of her head. “Glad someone believes in me.”

  “Maybe...you could just try talking to me about this stuff?” she ventured. “It could help you remembering, exercising it.”

  “Maybe,” I said, grimacing. “It’s...not really something I want to though. Like, besides the important bits, it all kind of...sucks.”

  “It’s pretty important you try though,” Amy said, looking up at me with wide eyes. Flecks of gold sparkled in her dark irises, reflecting the sunset coming in from the window. “And...and if I can help, I want to be there. Hell if I can’t I...I still want to be there.” I smiled and sniffed as my throat tightened.

  “I love you,” I said. “I...I promise I’ll think about it, okay?”

  “Sure,” she said, stretching up and pecking my lips. “We still have time.”

  “And I want to make good use of it,” I replied, pushing her down onto the mattress.

  “Whoof!” Zeke’s breath rushed out of his lungs as my glove struck just below his sternum. He stumbled back against the ropes as I moved in to—

  “Bell!” I froze at Lafayette’s shout. She stepped through the ropes and came over to us. I stepped back to give her some room to check on Zeke. “How you feeling kid?”

  “Ow,” he wheezed, holding his arm across his stomach. “You pack a punch for a shorty.”

  “Call me shorty again and I’ll show you what an uppercut feels like,” I said, putting my arms behind my head and breathing deeply as sweat dripped down my face. “Joy? You’re up.”

  “You want a break?” Lafayette asked, turning and giving me a look.

  “Nah,” I said, shaking my head. “Endurance. Got to be able to fight and keep fighting, you know?”

  “That’s hard,” Zeke said, pushing himself upright and giving me a toothy grin. “You’re cool, Lia. We should chill sometime.”

  “She’s a kid, dumbass,” Joy said, stepping into the ring.

  “And a lesbian,” I added with a snort.

  “Shit, me too girl,” he said, making all of us roll our collective eyes.

  “Right, you, out. Lia, Joy, corners.”

  We both nodded and headed to our respective corners of the ring. I turned and faced her, leaning against the post and breathing slowly as I sized her up. Joy had gotten better since starting, obviously, but she still hesitated sometimes. I could take advantage of that, since her guarding was pretty solid; a result of training with someone who didn’t really need to.

  Lafayette called for us to start. I walked to the center of the ring, gloves up. Joy joined me and held hers out. I touched mine against them, then snapped my guard up and danced back a pace before diving straight in. It was a bit of a dirty play, but I couldn’t give Joy an inch. Once she’d learned her reach, she’d tried to exploit it at every opportunity.

  My right glove hit her elbow, once, twice. She didn’t budge, so I switched sides, probing her left. It was just as tight, no opening to get through. I huffed and blinked sweat from my eyes, then gave half a pace and went higher. Joy was taller than me, but only a little more than Amy. A right hook cannoned into her glove, and the side of her head in turn. Her only response was a sudden jab in my face that made me flinch back.

  She was quick, backing off before I could correct my mistake. I followed, but she danced back and around, keeping me at bay with frequent jabs. When they hit, the power behind them almost made me wonder if Joy was hiding a Brute rating somewhere in that long braid or something. No damage, thanks to my projection, but still.

  She wasn’t able to keep up the pace forever though. A stumble let me catch up and get a mean hook into her ribs. Joy grunted, but rather than retreating she dealt a flurry of blows to the sides of my head. Lafayette called for a stop, and I backed off, breathing heavily.

  “Joy, headshots!” Lafayette yelled, shooting her a furious glower.

  “I’m good,” I said, rising and reaching a glove out. “Good shit, you went in instead of backing off.”

  “Yeah,” Joy huffed, grinning and tapping her glove against mine. “But ow.” We shared a chuckle.

  “Lia, get over here,” Lafayette called. I jogged over, taking off my head gear and kneeling when she gestured. She grabbed my chin and stared in my eyes, and my cheeks flushed. After a moment, she let me go and nodded. “Good, no concussion.”

  “No shit,” I muttered, clambering out of the ring.

  “Headgear isn’t a sure thing,” she said, giving Zeke a sidelong glance.

  “Right, sorry,” I sighed.

  “That was cool,” Zeke said, patting Joy’s shoulder as she left the ring. “Got to teach me how to do that.”

  “Laffy will,” Joy replied, taking off her gloves and headgear. “You’re getting better too.”

  “Thanks J-R.”

  “Why do you call her that?” I asked, getting a confused look from Zeke.

  “That’s her name,” he said like it was obvious. “You know, Joy Rivers, J-R, Junior even.”

  “Not Junior,” Joy said flatly.

  “Not Junior,” Zeke quickly agreed.

  “Right you two,” Lafayette said, clapping her hands. “Good to go? Then you’re fighting next, come on.”

  “Keep an eye out?” Joy asked as she stepped past me.

  I gave her a nod settled back to watch as Joy and Zeke climbed back into the ring. Time to see if he could cut it…

  “So?” Joy said as we stared out the window at the hammering rain. “What’d you think?”

  “Zeke’s kind of an idiot,” I said, drumming my fingers on the arm of Lafayette’s couch. I’d joined them after the gym for dinner, and planning with Joy. “Needs to take this stuff more seriously.”

  “He’s just like that,” she defended him. “But you saw, he’s pretty decent right?”

  “He’s...not bad,” I agreed. “Can actually throw a punch at least. Still not sure about this.”

  “I get it,” Joy said. “But he’s been pretty eager to get out there and work with us. Swears up and down he’ll listen to whatever we tell him.”

  “But how much do you believe that?” I asked.

  “I…” She frowned, tugging at the end of her braid. “I think he means it. If not you can always smack him or something, right?”

  “I’d rather have someone who listens,” I countered.

  “He will, I swear,” Joy said firmly. “Look can we at least give it a trial run, let him have a taste so he stops badgering me?” I sighed and scratched the back of my neck.

  “Fine,” I said after a moment. “I guess we’re only staking out drop points tomorrow, shouldn’t be any excitement. If he can sit still for a few hours...we can try a real patrol.” She grinned and grabbed me around the shoulders, giving me a brief squeeze.

  “Cool,” she said. “So where are we planning to go.”

  While Lafayette made dinner, we got started on figuring out our next move.