“Good to have the squad back together,” Jeep said as we raced down the road. It was deserted this morning, probably in part because the cops had put a ton of traffic stops out to keep people from getting into the South End. “Feels like old times.”

  “Glad to be fighting with you again,” I agreed. “But this is nothing like old times.”

  The silence was a tacit agreement with my glib assessment. I kept watch out the window, looking out for any sign of cops or Werwolf soldiers. Their coverage wasn’t absolute, and we were heading through a hole in the police net right now. Smaller streets, but that made it easier to traverse quickly, with the lack of traffic. Whether there would be Werwolf blockades or not remained to be seen.

  We were expecting pretty heavy resistance. After all, we’d given them a lot of time to dig in. But we were more than ready with the arsenal in tow. Fidel’s team had the RPG in their van, loaded with a thermobaric grenade. They’d be responsible for putting the lights out in Victor’s house. Between my legs, I had one of the grenade launchers we’d stolen from the Third Precinct. All HE rounds, appropriated from another of Werwolf’s armories.

  It was a blessing that our enemies were so well armed, because it gave us a stockpile to loot. I’d smash any roadblock to pieces, or use it to suppress any QRF coming our way. My belt was laden with extra grenades, heavier than my usual loadout of ammo. I still retained my pistol, in case I had to fight it out at close range, as well as my knives.

  “Dammit, we ain’t driving in easy,” Jeep muttered.

  “That’s what I’m here for,” I replied, hefting the launcher into my lap. “Stop halfway up the block, I’ll run the rest of the way and get us through. Nadir, get on the radio and tell Fidel what’s happening.”

  “Will do,” she said with a sharp nod, relaying my plan through the radio.

  “Stopping here,” Jeep said, slamming hard on the brakes.

  I braced myself against the console, then threw off my seatbelt and sprang from the car. The Werwolf gangsters at the roadblock, made up of two trucks and a construction barrier, didn’t open fire until I was nearly a hundred meters away. I only stopped charging when the first round hit me, taking a knee and raising the grenade launcher.

  It was practically point blank range, in terms of aiming. The launched bucked against my shoulder as it spat a grenade downrange. An explosion of dust kicked up in front of one of the trucks, making the soldiers duck behind it for cover. I raised my aim slightly and sent the next two sailing into the engine block, demolishing the front of the truck and sending shrapnel into the men behind it.

  I shifted my aim and fired the remaining for grenades behind the other truck, getting screams of fear as the fuel tank burst and lit up the area with a small fireball. I slung the launcher over my back and drew my pistol, running forward to finish them off. There were only three left standing, all of them dying to a pair of shots center mass.

  I paused, breathing hard, looking around. My squad hadn’t even caught up yet, and the roadblock was already neutralized. With one of the trucks on fire and the concrete barrier being what it was, I moved over to the other truck to shift it. Once my team arrived, we heaved together and moved it out of the road. Practically a repeat of the day before, but even faster.

  Once the way was clear, we got back in the vehicles and poured on the gas. We had no time to waste, no telling if the Nazis had got the word out or not. Our target was a two-storey house in a nice, suburban neighbourhood, and it felt bizarre to be racing past quiet homes with white picket fences out front. A couple people gawked from their porches, but I didn’t see any phones. Not likely to be scouts, at least.

  As we drove, I reloaded my grenade launcher as quick as I could. It was like a revolver, except with 40mm explosive rounds instead of bullets. Once the grenades were in, I snapped the cylinder closed and made it ready to go again. I glanced back and gave Nadir a thumbs up, which she returned hesitantly.

  “Shit, think I see it,” Jeep said, a hint of worry in his voice. I looked up and grimaced.

  “Ah.”

  Yeah that was definitely the place, with six cars parked out front in a semi-circle, and more than a dozen armed men visible in various positions. Was on the right road, about the right distance up too. Jeep slammed on the brakes two hundred meters out and the car twisted sideways. I flinched as bullets slammed into the armour of the door, drawing a muffled shriek from Nadir.

  I burst out of the passenger door and ran forward, barely thinking. I had to act before my team could be cut down. Rounds slammed into me ineffectively as I brought the grenade launcher to bear. I heard startled shouts as rounds thumped out of the barrel.

  The effect on the other end was nothing short of spectacular. A lucky hit on one of the cars made its fuel tank explode with a mushroom cloud of soot and flame. Other rounds sent gangsters to the ground, shrapnel taking its toll. But after the first barrage of six grenades, there were still plenty left.

  My team joined in, rifle fire echoing up and down the scenic street. I abandoned my launcher to be recovered after the fight, drawing my pistol and charging forward. There was little they could do to stop me with rifles and machine guns, and my squad didn’t have to worry about friendly fire. It was a perfect little arrangement, if not for my heart trying its best to beat through my chest.

  Finally I was close enough to engage properly. I dropped to one knee and put a round through the nearest gangster’s head, then continued forward as his friends turned and noticed me. Startled shouts were no defense, and I took them down as I slowly advanced towards the cars. I took a grenade from my belt and rolled it under the chassis to the other side, hearing a started shriek before it detonated and blew the bastard to pieces.

  That allowed me into their position proper. It was a brutal fight, with no cover for the enemy as I turned on them. I was methodical, only putting one carefully aimed shot into each soldier. They never stood a chance, as my team closed in and finished the stragglers off. I reloaded my pistol quickly, then recovered a rifle from a fallen Werwolf member. Better armed, I ran towards the house.

  As I crossed the front lawn, I spotted Fidel taking aim with the RPG. He shouted at me to get clear, but I screamed louder to fire. He listened to me, and the rocket sailed through the large picture window out front and detonated inside the house, the blast wave hitting me like a slap in the face. I clambered into the hole it left and found myself in a living room filled with smouldering furniture.

  I headed deeper into the house as smoke clung to the ceiling, rifle raised in front of me. Not perfect for clearing rooms, but good enough. A figure stumbled out of a side room and I fired twice, dropping them to the floor. I raced up the hall and swept into the room itself, eyes widening.

  “Amaranth wha—”

  I cut Victor’s question off with a pair of shots through his chest, then another squarely in his forehead. There was a shriek, and I turned to find a girl who could only be Othala, crying and raising her hands. Another three shots and she joined him, slumping on the floor as blood began pooling around my feet.

  A shaky breath escaped my lips as my ears rang. I stared down at Othala’s sightless eyes, the shock and fear on her face. She couldn’t be much older than me… A shiver of revulsion ran up my back and I shook my head, fighting to keep my bile down. Why did it feel so awful, why couldn’t I just be a psychopath that enjoyed the fighting, the killing? At least then I wouldn’t have to walk around with a cloud over my head all the time.

  “Amaranth!” The shout made me flinch hard, and I realized the smoke was getting thicker in here. “You okay?”

  “Fine,” I called back, stepping out of the room. Nadir was just down the hall wearing a worried look. “Victor and Othala are dead.”

  “We need to get out of here,” she said frantically, ignoring my report. “Living room’s burning and it’s spreading fast.”

  “Got it,” I said numbly, trailing behind her as she led us through the smoky halls.

  The tears stinging my eyes did little to dispel the vision of Othala’s face from my mind. I needed to focus god dammit, I couldn’t worry about some little Nazi bitch who was literally married to Victor. She had made her choices as surely as I had, and this was just how it played out. It sucked but...no it just sucked.

  We made it out onto the lawn, and looking back I saw flames licking at the roof from the broken front window. We’d really done a number on this place, with small craters from shrapnel and grenades littering the front lawn. The burning car had died down, and my team had pulled our vehicles up for a quick getaway. Nadir led me over and I lifted a hand in greeting to Fidel when I spotted him.

  “Welcome back,” Fidel said dryly. “How was the...house viewing?”

  “It’s a shithole,” I said flatly. “Victor and Othala are dead, plus one unidentified. Might be Nifelheim but I’m not going back in to check.” I didn’t need more faces burned into my mind.

  “Understandable,” he said with a nod. “Let’s mount up and get out of here before—”

  One of the van detonated in a tremendous fireball, blasting itself several feet into the air before it crashed down on its side. Incoming rounds struck the ground around us, and my friends dived for cover while I whipped my head around, scanning for threats. Who the fuck had snuck up on us?

  My eyes widened and my stomach sunk as I realized what was going on. Muzzle flashes came from windows in the houses up and down the road. There were soldiers all over the place too, behind cars and fences, all firing down on us. No, of fucking course Victor’s home would be surrounded by Nazis. Cauldron hadn’t bothered to give me the data on their unpowered people, so I’d never known I was walking into an ambush.

  “Get back to the house!” I bellowed. “Cover behind the cars, start digging in! Nadir, get on the phone to Misha and get them here now.”

  “Got it!” Nadir yelled, pulling out her phone and frantically dialing as she crouched behind a car. She pressed it to her ear, then swore violently. “No service!”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” My eyes widened. “Jammed, fuck!” I ran for the semi-circle of cars, joining the thirty others of my team that had made it.

  “We’re on our own,” Richard said grimly.

  I set my mouth in a grim line and peeked around the car, settling in for a long fight.

  A loud crack echoed down the road, followed by a fusillade of return fire that chased us back behind cover.

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  “Got the fucker,” Rosa spat, racking the bolt of her sniper rifle. “Lieb will be happy with that.”

  “He’s okay,” I reassured her. “But that was a damn good shot, guess you’re the better sniper.”

  “Put it right through his skull,” she said vengefully. “Let’s move, I want another.”

  “Right,” I said with a sharp nod.

  I followed her as we slunk between cars, others in the squad popping shots where they could. We were running low on ammo, so most everyone was just sticking to the limited cover we had. Ten minutes ago we’d had to retreat beyond the second line of cars, the first demolished by RPGs like had destroyed our van. It seemed they were out of rounds though, or at least conserving what they had left.

  It had been about an hour now, with no relief in sight. Our cells weren’t working, our radios only picked up interference. We had no way of getting in touch with the other squads, and it seemed they weren’t coming to find out what happened. The smart decision probably; if there was a force that could potentially have wiped us out, they’d stand no chance. But of course there wasn’t, unless Werwolf had more on the way. They could, and that had me worried sick.

  “Here,” Rosa said, stopping at the end of the last car. “Spot for me?”

  I nodded and poked my head around the trunk of the car. I didn’t get shot right away, which was a good sign for Rosa. Slowly, carefully, I scanned the street and houses, looking for something valuable she could shoot. A tremendous ‘crack’ split the air, and a tracer ripped from a high window and slammed into a truck near another member of my squad. I ducked back and faced Rosa.

  “Second house down,” I said quickly. “Second floor, nearest window.”

  “Got it.”

  She poked around the end of the car and set up, aiming carefully. Intermittent shots rang out, but none aimed her way it seemed. I clutched my rifle, watching her back as best I could. Not a lot I could really do but wait for her to take her shot. There was another shot from the enemy sniper, and a second later she fired and ducked back around.

  “Destroyed his gun,” Rosa said with a scowl. “Couldn’t get a bead on him from here.”

  “It’s fine,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m gonna go talk to Fidel.”

  I left her behind and trotted over to where he was, sheltered behind a toppled, burnt out van. There were others too, Doppler was holding his knees to his chest, forehead resting against them. Beside him, Kristian sat and wrapped an arm around his back. A few members of RFB were there too, looking scared and tired.

  “Fidel,” I said, getting his attention. “We need to get the fuck out of here.”

  “Obviously,” he replied dryly. “The issue is we’ve got enemies in front of us and a cul-de-sac at the other end.”

  “We need to start clearing houses,” I said. “We brought explosives right? If we can get to the side of a house, we can blast our way inside.”

  “These are peoples’ homes,” Kristian complained.

  “People who are shooting at us,” I retorted. “Look, I’d rather not go blowing up houses either, but we’re in a tight spot. We’ll stick to ones that have gunfire coming from them, surely you can’t object to that.”

  “We’ll need to be more careful,” Fidel said sternly. “We can’t just shoot anyone inside, or go throwing grenades around.”

  “That’s going to slow us way down,” I said, shaking my head.

  “What’s up?” Nadir asked as she jogged over to join us.

  “Planning a breakout,” I replied.

  “We’re not risking civilian casualties here, Amaranth,” Fidel said sharply.

  “These aren’t civilians,” I snapped. “They’re fucking shooting down at us, they can’t have it both ways.”

  “And if they’re unarmed women and children?” he asked.

  “Amaranth, come on,” Nadir said, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t go further than you have to.” I grit my teeth, then sighed and nodded.

  “Fine, we’ll be careful,” I said. “Let’s get everyone together, discuss the plan, and make it quick.”

  They did as ordered, calling over the remaining members of our squads who weren’t wounded and immobile. A couple people remained with them to rig up stretchers and prepare them to evacuate with the rest of us; no way in hell we were leaving them behind. The plan, such as it was, was barebones but it was all we had time for.

  Scared and tired though they might be, everyone looked determined to fight their way out. I collected bricks of explosives from the people designated to carry them, sticking them in them empty loops of my bandoleer. The idea was dead simple: I run up to the nearest house, slap a couple on the wall, then light the fuses and scram. That’d punch a hole for us to get inside and clear it out.

  Fortunately, we didn’t have far to go. The house right next door was blazing with gunfire from the upper windows. It was a shame the fire from Victor’s place hadn’t spread, because god knew my life couldn’t be made easier. Still, it would give us a position to fight from that wasn’t exposed on all sides, and a potential route out if we kept going.

  I counted down on my fingers as everyone stacked up behind the car nearest the house. When I closed my fist, I charged for the place next door, fighting against the urge to flinch as bullets snapped by or slapped against my projection. I made it to the exterior wall and flattened myself against it. Fortunately it was a blind spot from the home across the road, so my team would be able to survive.

  Without hesitating, I pulled two bricks of explosives from my vest. I tore the backing off the double-sided tape and stuck them about a foot apart in the center of the wall. Once in place, I lit the friction fuses on each and ran like hell. Ten seconds later, they blew the wall out in a hail of smoke and splinters, and I yelled for my team.

  The hole wasn’t large, barely five feet across, but it was enough for me to clamber inside and start clearing the house with my pistol. Nobody on the first floor, but I could hear them above me making a racket. I didn’t wait for my team, storming the stairs and charging to the top floor.

  There were four people in total in two rooms, gangsters of various ages all with assault rifles in hand. They managed to get off a few shots each before I shot them dead. The remaining room was clear, but when I poked my head inside it made my stomach twist. A kid’s bedroom, with a poster of me on the wall.

  I shook my head and turned around. That wasn’t me, not really, just some propaganda put out by the PRT to make me look good. Heading back downstairs, I found my teammates gathering in the living room and kitchen. The wounded were being treated as best they could, with Nadir working on one herself. Well, she was trained.

  “Amaranth,” Fidel said, waving me over to a window. I jogged over and pressed myself against the wall. “We had to leave five behind, dead. Richard…” His mouth set in a grim line and he shook his head.

  “God dammit,” I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose as pressure built behind my eyes. “Okay, okay, RFB’s second?”

  “Walking wounded, she’s in the kitchen organizing people to move to the next house,” he explained. “There’s a side door from there, so it’s a straight shot. The hedge is too short to give us any trouble.”

  “Great, I’ll go clear it.” I turned to go but paused when he put a hand on my shoulder.

  “Watch out,” he warned. “We haven’t seen their parahumans yet.”

  I nodded and swallowed, then headed into the kitchen. Richard’s second in command, a woman with broad lips and a wide nose, nodded to me. Blood was leaking down her face from a head wound, and she was cradling one arm. The members of ANTIFA and RFB looked at me as I approached the door, hope in their eyes. The were looking to me to get them out of here.

  So I would.

  I opened the door and raced out, leaping over the hedge as a shot zinged past my ears. Only two more cracked by before I reached the wall of the next house, out of sight for now. Only two more explosives, but it’d have to do. I stuck them to the wall, lit the fuses, and got clear. Once the hole was blasted, I drew my pistol and headed inside to clear it out.

  The first floor was clear, like at the other place, so I headed quickly upstairs as my team started climbing in through the hole. The first two rooms were clear, but a gunman burst from the last as I was approaching and sprayed me with automatic fire. It did nothing, but I let him empty his magazine before I raised my pistol and shot him dead. I stepped over his body and heard a startled yelp as I entered the room. Whirling, I found a young, blonde woman clutching her child tightly. She stared up fearfully, and I slowly lowered my weapon.

  “Stay here,” I said firmly. “Don’t go for his gun, don’t go for any gun. If you do, you live.” She nodded quickly and I left her there.

  I wasn’t stupid of course, I crushed the barrel of the gangster’s rifle as I passed and took his pistol, sticking it in my belt. Just because she’d agreed didn’t mean she couldn’t do something dumb. I didn’t want more blood on my hands. I joined the rest of my team downstairs and peered out the far window, letting out a whistle.

  “Guess we know why no one’s coming,” I said dryly.

  “Guess so,” Fidel replied.

  Further up the street, I could see a wall of fire burning high. They’d cut us off to try and annihilate us. The fact that it had held up this long worried me though. It was late in the morning, there was no question the Protectorate knew. Were they waiting for us to get ourselves out? Surely not, they’d want to break this up to try and arrest me at the very least.

  “Four more houses,” Fidel said. “Rache, how are you feeling?”

  “Fine,” the broad-nosed woman from RFB said. “Arm’s sore, looking forward to getting back and having it fixed.”

  “I’ll try and get you there,” I said firmly, getting a weird look. “You still have a round for the RPG Fidel?”

  “Our last thermobaric,” he said, taking it from the pack that he’d put on the floor. The launcher was next to it, waiting. “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m going to put a round in the next house across the street,” I said. “Then I’ll take a rifle and suppress the windows as best I can while you guys move up. We have to just go. This is taking too long, and if we keep it up we’ll be out of ammo before we find what’s waiting up there.” I pointed at the rocket. “That rattles their teeth so you can move. The rest is simple suppression.”

  “That’s incredibly risky,” Fidel said, then sighed. “But I don’t see many better options. Rache?”

  “I like it.” She awkwardly unslung her M16 and handed it to me. I took her remaining magazines too, stuffing them in my vest. “Kill some of them with it, will you?”

  “I’ll do my best,” I said with a shrug. I checked the magazine and made sure a round was chambered, then slung it on my back. I picked up the RPG and took the rocket from Fidel, loading it carefully. “Okay, stack on the front door. I’ll go out first, draw fire, and keep their heads down. As soon as that rocket flies, run.” They nodded and began marshaling everyone while I headed to the front door.

  Once they were ready, I wasted no time, bursting out of the door and into the street. The reaction was immediate, with bullets slamming into the pavement around me, and some into me. None hit the launcher though, and once I was in the middle of the road, I crouched, took aim, and let fly.

  The effect was spectacular. The loft where a sniper’s nest had been exploded in a shower of wood and smoke. Burning debris fell on the neighbouring houses and the yard out front. Smoke began rising as I unslung my rifle and started covering my squad. Muzzle flashes were addressed in an instant, with a three round burst through whatever opening they’d come from. A slap on my shoulder told me the last person was past. I fired a few more times before turning and running after them, towards the growing wall of fire.

  As we neared it, I heard the sound of conflict on the other side. The wall flashed from fire, to ice, and back again at random as we approached. The houses that had been hit by debris were burning now, their occupants fleeing onto the streets. I kept them under fire as smoke thickened and return fire slackened.

  So close I could feel the heat from Muspelheim’s fire now, when it was burning at least. I directed my squad to a porch nearest the flames, occupied by a pair of gunmen facing away from us. They were shot dead as my team took it over, and I ran past them towards the cape fight beyond. I cast my rifle off and dropped my pistol as well, drawing the knife I kept on my vest. I paused at the wall, ignoring the cries from my team to retreat, then burst through when it was burning bright.

  The heat was unbearable, but only lasted a second before I was through. On the other side I found Muspelheim tangling with Miss Militia, rapidly shifting back and forth with his twin Nifelheim. I saw Triumph further away, leaning against a PRT van and holding his side. Miss Militia noticed me, but had her hands full dealing with the villain.

  I decided to give her a hand, dashing towards the two with my knife held close. Nifelheim whirled, shifted to his twin, and began to burn a split-second before the blade buried itself in his chest, just below the heart. The fire went out and he keeled over, grasping weakly at my ankle. I kicked him away and skipped back, keeping my hands at my sides as I stared at Miss Militia.

  “You’re late,” I spat.

  “I had him handled, Amaranth,” she said sharply. “You didn’t need to kill him.”

  “He’s killed enough to earn it,” I retorted. I glanced over my shoulder and saw my ragged team sprinting towards me, and PRT officers began to bristle. “There are more gangsters back there, we barely got out. You want to go do your job?”

  “That’s unfortunately what I’m here to do.” Miss Militia slumped briefly, then pulled herself up and aimed her pistol squarely at my face. “Amaranth, you’re under arrest for frankly too many charges to list. Come quietly.” I narrowed my eyes and held up a hand as Fidel lifted his rifle to his shoulder.

  “We’re not here to fight you,” I said carefully. “I’ve made it a point to avoid police at all. Let’s not break that good streak.”

  “No more,” she said firmly. “This ends here Amaranth, and it ends with you in cuffs or…” She trailed off, but I could read the threat.

  “My squad walks,” I said after a moment of consideration. “We have wounded that need to get treated. You do that, and I won’t resist.”

  “Amaranth—”

  “Shut up Nadir,” I snapped, staring up at Miss Militia. “As my least favourite warlord once said, you get me.” She glared back, then gave a single nod.

  “Give up your weapons and return home peacefully,” Miss Militia ordered. “You’ll be allowed to go unmolested.”

  “Do it,” I said, pulling out my boot knife and putting it on the ground.

  “Can we trust them?” Fidel asked.

  “If this goes badly, I’ll take care of it,” I said. It felt like a weight pressed down on my shoulders as I did. “Go, quick.”

  They did, filing past silently and putting their rifles on the ground. I noted that they kept their sidearms, and the PRT didn’t make a fuss as they left the scene. Miss Militia pulled out a pair of hefty handcuffs that probably still couldn’t hold me, but I allowed her to shut them around my wrists. I followed her to a van and got inside, flanked by PRT officers.

  The doors shut behind me and my war ended, for now.