Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was in March of 2024 that the unusual circumstances building up to an occurrence finally boiled over. It had been many years since such an occurrence had been brought about, but it was inevitable. This was a world of exceptional people and exceptional scenarios. It was only ever a matter of time before Fate brought these things together.

Who are these exceptional people? What drives them? Are they exceptional because of who they are, what they do, or what they desire? Who among them will overcome all of the obstacles they face, and who will falter and fail? In the end, even Fate is not all-seeing. But one thing is certain; no matter how much is lost along the way, Fate always favors those who act in the name of justice. Let us see if that holds true, even now.

---

It was a Sunday afternoon in New York City, specifically East New York. The streets were bustling as people made their way to appointments, got into cabs or buses, entered restaurants or otherwise went about their days. Thousands of people across the city, all crowding the streets.

One of those people is a young man. Unlikely to stand out in a group, this young man was a handsome if unkempt individual. He had fair skin, blue eyes, and tussled, medium-length silver hair with long, uneven bangs. His features were angular and sharp, with intelligent eyes that constantly darted around. Under his high-collared open dark green vest was a red crop top, on which was the silhouette of a wolf's face. He also wore blue pants with a pair of belts and a gray wristband on each wrist, and brown loafers.

This young man’s name was Joshua Jordan, and he hated crowds.

It was unfortunate, given the city he lived in. Even the sky was crowded with a herd of fat clouds as he made his way along the street, shoulders slumped, avoiding contact with any passersby on their phones. Normally, he rarely left his apartment for that reason except to buy groceries or go to work, but today he was busy. Unfortunate, really, but at least the things I have to do might not be so bad. We’ll see.

The other problem was that it was too far to walk. As much as he hated the crowded streets, getting in a cab and probably making some kind of annoying small talk with the driver. So unfortunately, he had to walk or take the subway. In this case, the subway was necessary, and it was still preferable to a one-on-one conversation. The tight space full of people still bothered him, but at least they didn’t want to be there either.

It only took about twenty minutes to reach his destination, but it felt much longer than that. He’d stepped in something on the way down, and when he was checking his shoe he dropped his card on the way into the turnstyle. People were looking at him, and he hated that. He shoved the card in his jacket pocket and hurried onto the train.

Joshua was lucky to have a spot to sit without anyone around him, allowing him to get a little more comfortable. The trip was uneventful, and by this point in his life Joshua was used to subway rides. He still didn’t like them. Too many people packed too tightly. It was always a relief to climb up the stairs and find himself in the open air once more. By this point, the air was starting to smell wet, like it was about to start raining. Unfortunate.

All of that aside, once Joshua reached the café, he had to admit, it was nice to see Maria again.

She was the same age as him, pretty as best he could judge, with chin-length burgundy hair and bright green eyes that lit up at the sight of him. She actually put work into her appearance; she had on pink lip gloss and a touch of eyeshadow, and her outfit was well-coordinated with a white, collared open jacket with a red crop top, red short shorts with a pair of belts across her midriff, and long red boots. She had heart-shaped earrings and fingerless gloves as well. As soon as she spotted Joshua, Maria smiled and beckoned him over, leading him to sit down at one of the outside tables across from her.

“Sorry I’m late,” Joshua said, slouching down in the chair to relax with his hands behind his head. “You think we should go indoors for this? It might rain ,you know.” Luckily the café was mostly empty, with just one or two other tables besides him and Maria.

“You’re actually early!” Maria replied. “And nah, it’ll be fine. The forecast didn’t predict any rain today.” She smiled mischievously. “What, you don’t mind getting a little wet, do you?”

Joshua rolled his eyes. He didn’t really mind the rain, but that was beside the point. “I suppose,” he said. Just as he did, the waitress interrupted, and they both placed their orders. They’d been here often enough that they knew exactly what to get, which was good. Joshua hated having to read a menu and not knowing what was going to be worth it or not.

“It’s been forever, though. I know we talk like, all the time, but we don’t really see each other much anymore, you know?” Maria began after the interloper had left with their order. She leaned her elbow on the table, idly tracing her finger along the glass. “It’s not like high school anymore.”

Joshua sighed. “It’s not. It’s only been a year, but things are pretty different now. I have my apartment, you’re in the dorms, we don’t get to talk as much, not face to face.” It was unfortunate. Maria was probably his best friend--and he only had a couple to begin with--and he missed her. Not that he would, or could, tell her as much. She probably knew, anyway.

Maria clapped her hands once, sitting up. “Well, that sounds like we ought to make these a more regular thing, don’t you think? Don’t worry about paying, I’ve got my part-time job and you know my mom would chip in if I asked, she adores you after all.”

Joshua blanched a little, holding his hands furtively in his lap. Of course, he wanted to see her more. But it was such a pain making his way here just this one time, and doing it on the regular would be…unfortunate.

“You don’t think so?” Maria asked, frowning. Joshua sighed.

“I don’t know. It’s tough. Money’s kind of tight, and I don’t want to make you spot me over and over again, you know?” he replied, rubbing the back of his head. She pursed her lips, but then her eyes lit up again.

“Oh, I know! I’ll come to your apartment instead. You’ve got a kitchen, right? We can make something and eat there. How does that sound?”

Joshua considered. It was a better idea. He didn’t have to leave, and she didn’t have to pay for him to do anything. On the other hand, that would be much more of an imposition onto her. Was he willing to put all of the work onto her, just because he didn’t care to go out himself?

“I’ll think about it,” he replied.

---

They talked for an hour or so. It wasn’t like they weren’t keeping in touch, so it was mostly a lot of bullshitting. Complaining about neighbors or classes or coworkers or what have you. Not that Maria had much to complain about, really; she always made it sound like her problems weren’t really real. I know things bother her more than she lets on, though. I wish she’d tell me when she had a problem. Still, seeing her was nice. Joshua missed Maria’s smile. It made him feel like smiling back.

By the time they finished their meals, it was about time for Joshua’s second appointment. This one he wasn’t looking forward to as much, especially since he wanted to stick around, but it was about a potential job, so he was kind of obligated. He waved goodbye as he got up and, with one last glance over his shoulder, headed towards the subway so he could get a ride to the park. It was odd; they’d insisted on coming to him for the interview, and he hadn’t wanted to let a stranger into his place, so they’d agreed to meet him in an open area.

He arrived at the meeting point, which was one of the benches on the edge of Prospect Park, but there was nobody else there. As far as Joshua knew, this guy was from out of town, so knowing his luck, they’d probably gotten lost. Typical, really. Joshua sat down and crossed his arms, to wait. Finally, after almost half an hour, he eventually spotted his would-be employer trotting towards him. A middle-aged balding man with a lean build in a low-cut black suit, this ‘Hestia’ had sent him an email a couple of days ago. He looked pretty out of breath, his right hand was bandaged, and he had a couple of fresh bruises on his face.

“Apologies for the delay, my boy!” the man guffawed as he approached Joshua. He took off his sunglasses and set them on top of his head. “Got into a bit of an accident on the way here, but nothing to worry about.” he stuck out his left hand, and Joshua shook it. “Jojo, is it?”

Joshua nodded. “And you’re Hestia.” The man smiled.

“Indeed! Now, to skip the pleasantries, I’ve come on behalf of my esteemed employer to bring you in on a lucrative offer.”

Lucrative, huh? Joshua raised an eyebrow. “That sounds good. If a lot of money is involved, though, we should probably not be talking about this in the open, should we?” Hestia glanced over his shoulder and nodded.

The two made their way out of the park in silence and down the street towards the suburbs. The man was in good spirits and casually pestering Joshua about his life the whole time. Joshua answered in monosyllables; he was a high school graduate, a contractor for various labor jobs. He lived alone; no pets, no family, no roommates. Hestia greeted each response with a jovial, “I see!” before continuing to pepper him. It was annoying.

“Here’s a good spot.” Joshua said as they reached a back alley. This area of the city was on the outskirts, so there were fewer people and less in the way of high-rise skyscrapers. It was quieter, and he liked it best of all the places in New York. He lived in a similar place, actually, which was nice. Unfortunate that he wasn’t there now. “So who is this employer?”

Hestia shrugged. “A wealthy businessman with an eye for talented young individuals, we’ll say. I can introduce you to him if you accept the offer, but otherwise, well, he favors his privacy when he can.”

Joshua could understand wanting a little privacy. “That’s fine.” He crossed his arms and leaned his shoulder against the wall of the alley. “So this job, what does it entail?”

Hestia smiled. “Ah, well you see, it’s a bit of a retrieval job. Not for anything illegal!” He raised his hands as though in a calming gesture. “But it’s a bit of a difficult material for the public or the police, you see, so he’s looking for people with more, well, esoteric talents. That’s you, my boy.”

That got Joshua’s attention. Does he know…? How? “Talents,” he repeated. “And you think I’m one of those ‘talented’ people he’s talking about.”

“Of course! I am as well, you see, and if he was able to seek me out, it stands to reason that his information is right about you as well.” Hestia’s smile turned just a bit darker. “Let’s not beat around the bush, here. You are what we call a Stand user, are you not?”

---

Joshua shrugged. “I don’t know what that is.” He moved from the wall and cocked his head, studying Hestia carefully. “So in short, you think I have an ‘ability’ to find this thing you’re looking for. Am I right?”

Hestia shrugged. “My employer does, so he sent me to contact you, as I have several people. Not all of them have accepted, but those that have are certainly better off for it.” He spread his arms magnanimously. “Great wealth and power await you for a simple task! You won’t even have to break a sweat, I’m sure. What do you say, my boy?”

With a frown, Joshua tilted his head back to look Hestia in the eye. The businessman was a good foot taller than him--Joshua was pretty short for a guy his age--and the younger man spent a moment focusing on him. His gaze was cold and sharp, and soon he finally had a read of this guy. “You haven’t told me what I’m looking for. How can I agree to that?”

Hestia chuckled. “Of course! I almost forgot. Here, this is what we’re looking for.” He began digging into the folds of his suit jacket. “You see, a thief stole a valuable substance from my employer. Not drugs or weapons, but an expensive research material. It has to be stored very particularly, so all you have to do is find the container, my boy! The details are unimportant.”

Finally, Hestia produced a photograph and held it in front of Joshua’s face. It depicted a black briefcase with several belts wrapped around it in an X pattern, holding it tightly shut. “You simply need to locate and retrieve this ‘container’ and all will be well. You’ll of course receive a considerable stipend, and be on our shortlist for future employment. Is that amenable to you?”

Joshua considered for a few moments. He’d already made up his mind. It was a pretty easy choice to make, really. All that he actually had to decide was figuring out how to go forward.

“Tempting. But I’m going to decline your offer.”

“O-oh?!” Hestia exclaimed, like he was surprised. He hadn't noticed how suspicious Joshua was feeling all this time.

‘This guy is suspicious’ had been what Joshua was thinking all this time. The idea of meeting him directly screamed of unscrupulous motives, and as soon as he heard that bullshit story about getting into an accident, it was clear Hestia was even more sketchy than that. Those bruises were clearly from being punched, and the bandages on his hand were done by himself, as if he’d not bothered to seek medical attention. Or been unable to. Hestia had been in a fight before he’d come to see Joshua.

He could have been mistaken, obviously. The guy could have just gotten roughed up by some mugger on the way and forced to fend them off, and been in a hurry to make the meeting. Joshua wasn’t completely sure at first. But that wasn’t the only thing that made it clear there was more to this man than he wanted to appear.

“Let me ask you a question,” Joshua said, stepping forward. Hestia’s eyes widened, looking alarmed. “Why did you call me ‘Jojo’ when you first met me?”

“T-that’s your name, you--uh, you know?” Hestia sputtered. “That’s what people call you, isn’t it, my boy?”

“No,” Joshua replied, tilting his head. “Only one person calls me that. A person I just saw, actually. In the same place that I saw that briefcase.”

“You-!” Hestia exclaimed. But it was true. There, back with Maria, two people had been sitting with that briefcase. That photograph was taken there too, since the table was the same type of table as that café. Hestia had been watching, both him and them, though he hadn’t recognized him at the time. The coincidence of them meeting up was very strange, but it was clear that this was some kind of setup. Ordinary business people going about normal jobs didn’t spy on their would-be business partners without saying anything.

“Well? You were watching me before this meeting. Explain yourself,” Joshua said. Hestia cursed under his breath, before clearing his throat and adjusting his tie.

“Well, yes, the thief was there. I expect she was trying to contact you to get you on her side. I wanted to make sure she didn’t mislead you, but you left before she could speak to you. So I decided to take the opportunity to pursue her instead.”

“But you failed, because someone intervened,” Joshua replied.

“Yes, I--wait, what?!” Hestia exclaimed, eyes going wide. Joshua glowered coldly.

“You’ve got a strand of red hair stuck to your suit,” he explained. Familiar red hair, as it happened. “You attacked her on the spot, but someone stepped in and drove you off. Specifically, the girl you know I was sitting with and visiting. You fought her. Am I right?”

“How the hell--er, that is, how…?” Hestia stared down at his fancy suit. There was no mistaking one of Maria’s deep red locks. He must have spoken to her, too, to know the name ‘Jojo’. Only she called him that, but he knew she hadn’t actually said it once while he was there. 

Joshua's voice grew tense. “What did you do with her? Tell me. Now.”

Hestia gritted his teeth. His face was turning comically red, his fists clenched. “You little…ugh, fine. Yes, we had a misunderstanding and we got into a fight. She’s fine, my boy.” Joshua narrowed his eyes. Something still wasn’t adding up.

“Where did she go after that happened? You didn’t let her run off with the thief, did you? You explained everything? You knew I was waiting for you, so you should have brought her to me. Or had her call me. Why didn’t you?” Joshua put his hand on his hip.

“I didn’t! I mean, she, I mean--” Hestia’s words broke down and he began sputtering again. Finally, he swore and threw up his hands. “Dammit! What is it you want out of me, you little shit?! I haven’t done anything, you bastard! Stop needling me, asshole!”

Joshua scoffed. There goes that respectable businessman persona . “I want the truth, nothing more or less. The fact you’re throwing a tantrum over it tells me you’re not the type of person I can trust.” He glowered. “But I trust Maria. If she got into a fight with you, I assume she knows that you’re a problem. Something about this whole situation is scummy, and I think it’s you.”

Joshua gazed intensely at Hestia, whose entire face was now bright red with anger. “You’re going to tell me everything; who this thief is, who your employer is, what was stolen, and why you came to me. Right now. Or I’ll make you regret ever lying to me.”

---

Hestia continued cursing and throwing his arms around, all pretense of being composed or cordial out the window. Joshua waited patiently for him to finish his little tantrum. By the time he was done, his suit was completely disheveled, his tie was undone, and the buttons on his undershirt had come off. The red had started to leave his face though, and he looked…calm. It was unsettling. He's got something up his sleeve, that much is clear . Hestia adjusted his suit jacket and smiled.

“Apologies, I lost my temper a little,” he said, voice no longer tinged with any anger. “Now, it is my understanding that you are unwilling to cooperate with us? Is that right, my boy,”

After that little display ? “Yeah. I don’t trust you, this whole situation is clearly suspicious. Not only am I not going to work for you, but I'm going to need you to answer my questions as well,” Joshua replied, stepping back a little. There was something menacing about Hestia’s aura.

“A pity. I’m afraid I cannot divulge any more information, so this will be the end of our little conversation.” Hestia smiled and stepped a little closer. “As a matter of fact, it seems you’re likely to become a problem for us, as well. So I’ll have to deal with you now.”

Joshua took a breath. “Are you going to try to kill me?” I was right. This guy is off his rocker. He’s dangerous .

Hestia’s grin only widened. “Not only ‘try’ my boy. I must say, I do so detest when children talk back to me and make me lose my composure, so I’m rather pleased I get to take out my annoyance on you, you worthless little shit !”

With inhuman speed, Hestia’s right arm lunged forward at a bizarre angle, his forearm seemingly extending directly towards Joshua’s exposed throat.

Joshua turned around. Arms crossed, he glanced over his shoulder. He’d expected as much; once it was clear Hestia was not to be trusted, he’d assumed that this whole meeting could go south as soon as he refused. It was no surprise that this ‘businessman’ would try to clean up a potential loose end. Luckily, Joshua came prepared.

Just as suddenly as Hestia’s movement, a pale green, lean-muscled, and furred arm emerged from Joshua’s left shoulder, and blocked Hestia’s hand with it. As keen red eyes burned from within Joshua’s shadow, he whispered his other best friend’s name.

“Feed the Wolf.”

Chapter Text

Joshua Jordan was an orphan.

He didn’t remember his parents, and hadn’t seen them since he was a baby. He’d been raised by his maternal aunt and uncle, who told him about how his aunt’s sister--his mother--was a good-for-nothing wastrel who had run away from home as a teenager because her parents disapproved of her good-for-nothing boyfriend. One day, they’d gotten into a motorcycle accident, died, and Joshua was picked up from their filthy apartment. In his aunt’s words.

Though they were well-off, Joshua’s adoptive parents wanted little to do with him and usually forced him to fend for himself. When he was a child, he’d often come to the dinner table in the kitchen when food was prepared, only to find that she’d ‘forgotten’ to make anything for him, leaving him to sneak off with the leftovers before she did the dishes. After dinner, they’d lock him in his bedroom alone without even any books or toys for the night, only unlocking it when it was time for school. He’d sit quietly on his bed, staring out the window for hours at the other kids playing outside.

At school, Joshua’s teachers often scolded him for coming to class with dirty clothes on, and he had to borrow school supplies from his classmates. Other kids would often make fun of him for being so poor, complain that he smelled bad, and didn’t want to share toys with him. He would play alone during recess, bouncing the deflated ball nobody else wanted off of the wall because he didn’t have anyone to play catch with. He didn’t have anyone, at all.

That was when his ‘friend’ appeared. One day, while he was doodling in the dirt with a stick, drawing a stick picture of himself with an imagined companion, someone approached him. He sensed their presence and looked up. His eyes had widened, because they were unlike anyone he’d never seen before. They walked like a person, but they had green fur instead of skin, metal clothes, and a masked face.

But he wasn’t scared of this strange figure. He knew that they were friendly, and soon he had someone else to play ball with. Someone none of the other children seemed to see.

---

After gazing over his shoulder at Hestia, Joshua turned and walked casually out of the alleyway with his hands in his pockets as his ‘friend’ and his enemy clashed. He wasn’t worried about leaving his ‘friend’ behind; after all, it was impervious to anything he’d ever come across. It would put this guy on his ass and then come back without issue while he hung out and planned his next move.

As Joshua turned the corner of the alley and leaned against the wall, hands behind his head in a casual posture, his ‘friend’ fully manifested. It was about one head taller and more muscular in build. Its body was covered in cyan-colored fur, with silver armor in the form of two shoulder pads that intersected in at its chest, leaving the neck, collarbone, and stomach exposed. Several silver metal bands bound its stomach, arms, and legs, as well as one acting like a belt. It had on a black loincloth, and its fists were armored in gauntlets with multiple studs. His ‘friend’s’ face resembled a wolf’s wearing a helmet, with a black visor over its eyes, which glowed menacingly as it appeared.

Its name was Feed the Wolf, and in the moment Hestia was caught off-guard by its appearance, it attacked. Twisting the businessman’s wrist and pulling him in, Joshua’s companion--unbeknownst to him, his Stand--knocked the other man off balance and raised its fists, pummeling him in the face and chest with a roar and a rapid rain of punches. With a cry of pain, Hestia went flying back against the wall, a strike nobody would be getting up from anytime soon.

But as he impacted, something happened. His body seemed to ‘splat’ against the surface, spreading and flattening like a ball of pizza dough dropped on the counter. Soon he was flat as a pancake, but seemingly totally unharmed. After a moment, he snapped back into shape, landing on his feet on the ground and dusting himself off.

“Well, well, a good showing, boy,” Hestia smirked. He turned to face Feed the Wolf, who stared at him in confusion. “You’re a powerful Stand, that much is clear. Unfortunately for you, raw strength won't be enough to save your wretched little life.” He raised his fists again, and all of a sudden, his arms extended once more with a loud stretching noise, aimed right at Feed the Wolf’s face.

“Tame Impala!” Hestia called as Joshua’s Stand raised its arms in defense. It was just a little too slow, and took one punch straight to the chest while barely deflecting the other. Out by the street, Joshua gasped as he coughed up a spurt of blood. The injury was painful, but the real shock came from the fact that it happened at all. I thought Feed the Wolf was invincible! But not only did it get hurt, the damage was transferred to me as well?!

---

As Feed the Wolf fully raised its guard,Hestia simply crouched. Or rather, his legs contracted, causing him to sink to the ground until he was standing on two tiny stubs. With a sudden SPROING sound, Hestia jumped, bouncing high into the air and over Feed the Wolf’s head as the Stand futilely tried to grab him, past the rooftop, and landing on the sidewalk outside. Joshua whipped around to face the enemy, still wiping the blood from his mouth. What the hell did he just do?! He bounced like a basketball!

“Judging from the look on your face, I see you’re unfamiliar with certain concepts of Stands,” Hestia said with his hands spread as he stepped closer. Joshua tried to calculate distances in his mind. Feed the Wolf couldn’t attack anything outside of its reach, and even if it could, would his attacks do anything? It’s like this man is…

“Your body is made of rubber,” Joshua said, narrowing his eyes. “It can stretch and compress without you getting hurt. That’s your ‘power’. Your Stand, is that what you called it?” He frowned. “I always knew there had to be other people with ‘powers’ like I have, but I didn’t think it could take a form like this.”

Hestia laughed a hearty belly laugh, even slapping his knee. “Indeed, it seems you've solved my Tame Impala quite quickly! There is much you don’t know about Stands, however. For example,” he stopped and turned, extending a quick punch towards Feed the Wolf, who had only just now turned to face the relocated enemy. His stand raised its arms, but it had never needed to defend against an attack before; nothing had ever hurt it. The blow bypassed its armor and punched it in the stomach. Joshua grunted, coughing more blood. “Only a Stand--or someone whose body is their Stand, like me--can harm a Stand, and any damage most Stands take is reflected onto the user.”

“Shit,” Joshua muttered as he stood back up. It was unfortunate that the advantage he usually had didn’t mean much here. Luckily, he was already starting to work some things out. “But your ‘Stand’ isn’t that strong. You’re fast, but I’ve taken worse punches in back-alley brawls with other high school students.” He wiped off the blood and composed himself. “My Feed the Wolf can easily take you, as long as I figure out how to keep you down, Rubber Band Man. You can’t stand up to me for shit.”

“You impertinent little prick,” Hestia spat, face going red. “I will leave you a lifeless smear on the ground for your asinine little comments!” But Joshua was already on the move, and though Hestia turned away from Feed the Wolf to strike the boy, that was exactly what Joshua had wanted when he provoked the man. He slipped out of Hestia’s grasp and ducked into another alleyway on the other side of the convenience store they were standing near. While Hestia’s fist failed to reach him, Feed the Wolf took the opportunity to escape the alley, going the other direction.

“Huh? Shit,” Hestia spat. He was an experienced Stand fighter; this wasn’t the first user he’d killed for defying him. It was immediately clear that Joshua’s Feed the Wolf was a long-range remote control type Stand; that was the only way he could control it so finely while still being able to separate from it like that. Remote control stands were most dangerous when you lost track of them, because they could ambush you from unexpected positions.

However, that was also their weakness. Feed the Wolf separating from its user meant its user was defenseless. Hestia crouched, bunching up his legs to act as powerful elastic springs. After a moment, he launched himself, leaping onto the roof of the convenience store. There, he had a perfect view of the immediate area, and he’d be able to get that son of a bitch unaware.

I have a position of privilege in a powerful corporation because I earned it, Hestia thought to himself. I was assigned this task because I proved myself worthy. And the thing I deserve most, what I have earned most, is respect. I can’t stand it when people disrespect me, least of all pathetic children who don’t know their place. I’ve been disrespected twice today, first by that girl, and now by this little shit. I’m going to crush his ribcage into dust for talking back to me, Hestia!

Hestia trotted over to the edge of the building on the side where Joshua had run and gazed down. Sure enough, the boy was standing, hand on his hip, blocked by a high chain link fence. Judging from the look of things, it was locked. Hestia laughed. What a fool! In his attempt to escape, Joshua had only trapped himself, ensuring a painful demise. Hestia jumped down behind Joshua, compressing and then springing up from the two-story impact.

“I don’t think you’ll be running anywhere anytime soon.” Hestia chortled. Joshua did not turn to face him. “You may as well simply lay down in the dirt and prepare to die. There’s nowhere for you to run, and your Stand is nowhere in sight. You can’t hope to defend against or escape me!.”

The gate opened.

---

Joshua immediately stepped through the open door, and in the same motion the chain link gate slammed shut. Joshua ran around the rightmost bend in the alleyway, around the corner, and as he did, Feed the Wolf appeared behind him. Or rather, it ‘emerged’ behind him; a tiny, coin-sized green spark opened up on the lock on the far side, and Feed the Wolf swiftly pulled itself out of it like squeezing toothpaste from a tube. Breaking free entirely, the Stand then landed and turned around to face Hestia, who stared in blank rage.

“ I don’t think so, ” Feed the Wolf said, hands on its hips, leaning backwards. “ If you’re so smart, you’re the one who should be surrendering. Otherwise, my master will make you regret ever meeting him. ” Its voice was similar to Joshua’s, but deeper, with a distinct metallic echo to it.

Hestia snarled. “Shut up , you son of a bitch!” He slammed into the gate, but despite having been open moments ago, it was still locked, and only rattled when he tried to get through it. “What is this?! Do you have the power to open locks or something?!”

Feed the Wolf chuckled. “ That’s not all. My power is that I can enter objects and control them. I beat you here by entering and exiting through the walls of that convenience store. ” It sneered, gesturing to the wall. Sure enough, its left arm phased smoothly into the wall. It withdrew its arm with a smirk, jabbing its thumb at him. “ You thought my master was separated from me, but in truth, I was right there with him all along .”

“Damn you!” Hestia swore, stomping his foot. “How dare you defy me again, you little shit!”

Feed the Wolf laughed again. “ Defying people like you is sort of our thing, you know. You’re not special just because you have ‘power’. I’ll still beat you into a pulp without any trouble. ”

Hmm, so its a long-ranged Stand with a personality of its own , Hestia realized. Not that it matters. He’s still only a kid, and I’m experienced at fighting other Stand users. I’ll kill him without any issue. Hestia leaned forward and pressed his head against the links of the fence. “You’re an ignoramus if you think you can simply escape me!” he declared. The top of his head began to compress down, until it was only the width of a golf ball. He then began to squeeze forward. “Tame Impala makes it impossible for someone to contain or slow me down! My power in invincible!”

First, his squished head, then his neck, shoulders, and torso, and then his entire body rapidly squeezed its way through one of the openings in the chain fence, and within moments he had pulled himself to the other side. Even his shoes were compressed into a narrow strand, like dough fed through a pasta machine. Feed the Wolf raised its fists in preparation to guard. “ An interesting trick. So you can turn your entire body into elastic rubber? ”

“Yes, indeed,” Hestia smirked as he stepped out of the gap. “And because my body is soft and rubbery, I’m immune to your useless little punches as well! To put it simply, you have no chance of hurting me, let alone stopping me. You may as well give up, you son of a bitch.”

Feed the Wolf scoffed. “ I don’t think so. I’ve already figured out one of your weaknesses, after all. ”

“What?!”

Feed the Wolf punched him hard, a driving uppercut into the chin. The impact caused Hestia’s head to partially cave in, collapsing like a rubber ball, and he flew up and backwards, his neck stretching like a cartoon character. With a yelp, he went flying back over the fence, landing on the ground on the other side of it with a splat.

“Bastard…” Hestia grumbled as he stood back up. The attack did no real damage to him, but the indignity at being bounced around like a toy was infuriating. How dare this little shit take advantage of my power like this ?! Even worse, Feed the Wolf just stood there, smirking as it turned to the side and put its hands on its hips. There was no chance Hestia was going to let him get away with this.

“Fine, then. I don’t need to be on the same side of this fence as you to pummel you!” Hestia drew his fist back and launched it forward. Without losing any momentum, his arm flattened and compressed itself down into a narrow tube, before emerging from the other side of the fence at full size.

Feed the Wolf, caught off-guard, was unable to fully avoid the attack, and the glancing blow across his helmet was enough to send it staggering. Hestia drew back his other fist and then repeated the trick. Feed the Wolf managed to deflect this attack with a punch of its own, but soon a hail of rubbery, enhanced punches were raining down on it, and Joshua’s Stand was gradually forced back, fending off a series of high-speed strikes. “Face the power of Tame Impala! Nothing can stop me from reaching my quarry!” Hestia laughed as Feed the Wolf took another glancing blow to the face.

Soon, unable to make a retaliatory strike at this range, Feed the Wolf growled, “ Well, you’re a bit stronger than I expected, I’ll admit. I’m going to need to find a new approach, I think. See ya. ” With that, the Stand turned and ran, bolting around the corner of the alley way, finally out of reach of Hestia’s attacks. The older man snarled as he failed to grab Feed the Wolf, and soon his enemy was out of sight.

“Shit!” he swore, grabbing the corner of the alley with his extended arms and pulling the rest of his body through the fence. “How dare you?! Get back here and die, you piece of shit!” Hestia turned the corner, and saw that this alley led to a different street, and that on the opposite side of the road, there was a small Italian restaurant. Feed the Wolf was standing in front of it, and as it turned to look at him, it seemed to smile.

Then, it dove forward, phasing into the wall and vanishing from sight.

“Dammit!” Hestia cursed, immediately and carelessly sprinting across the street. A car almost hit him, but he ignored it. Being struck by a car would only damage the car and driver, and he didn’t particularly care about those things. What was important was catching and slaughtering this child and his stupid, arrogant Stand.

Ripping the door open hard enough to yank it off its hinges, Hestia glowered around the inside of the restaurant. The interior was quaint and rustic, and several people were sitting at round tables, now staring at him in shock. The only thing he cared about, though, was that Feed the Wolf was standing in the middle of the floor.

It was holding several steak knives between its fingers.

“ Here, catch ,” the Stand said, drawing back to throw the blades. Judging from its form, it would land these with deadly precision if it let them loose. Hestia’s eyes went wide.

Did he really figure out my weakness, just like that? I’m immune to punches, but sharp objects can still pierce my body. I could be severely wounded if he throws those knives! How dare he! This son of a bitch dares to exploit my Stand?! I’ll murder him!

Hestia reached out and grabbed a shield, immediately raising it in front of himself with one arm as it squealed. “I don’t think so,” he smirked as Feed the Wolf froze mid-throw. His shield squirmed and struggled in his grasp, and its friends called out and screamed, but he simply used his free arm to smash their table, sending them fleeting in terror. Feed the Wolf stared at him.

“ You’re a real piece of shit, huh ,” the Stand muttered, lowering its arms. There was now a young woman helplessly held in Hestia’s grip, his arm around her throat, holding her in front of him. Struggling all she could, even digging her nails into his skin and kicking him in the shin, she was unable to break free. 

“I was right, “Hestia gloated. “You’re not going to attack an innocent bystander. You’re too weak to do what you need to do in order to survive!” He grunted, pulling his shield up further in front of him. “I’m going to walk over and snap your neck now. If you try to phase into any object or run away, I’ll snap her neck instantly, and her blood will be on your hands.”

“ Bastard ,” Feed the Wolf growled. It dropped the knives, which clattered uselessly to the ground. The rest of the inhabitants of the restaurant could do nothing but flee. “ We’ll see how you get out of this, because it isn’t over yet. You’ve just pissed me off, that’s all. ”

Hestia snorted. “No, I think this is very much over. Now, hold still so I can finish you off.” With that, and protected by his helpless hostage, he slowly began to make his way towards Feed the Wolf.

Chapter Text

Joshua Jordan was 14 years old, and his life was pretty normal by now.

His aunt was well-off, but he’d never benefited from their wealth, since she mostly ignored his existence. At a certain point, he’d just started taking things for himself rather than relying on scraps. With Feed the Wolf’s power to phase into objects and the fact that nobody but Joshua could see it, he could steal money from his aunt without her ever finding out or being able to prove it. He bought food, books, and fancier brand-name clothes, anything he wanted.

Most of his classmates stopped picking on him by that point, but he still had no friends besides Feed the Wolf, and he mostly kept to himself. Still, in 9th grade, an older boy started harassing him. He’d stand in Joshua’s way in the hallway, tripping him up when he tried to walk around the impediment. He came over and pretended to be interested in what Joshua was doing before making fun of him when he tried to explain it. Little things, but they were frustrating and obnoxious.

Joshua had an idea. He used Feed the Wolf to plant a note inside of the bully’s locker, which read ‘Leave Joshua alone or you’ll regret it’. It had worked, but not in the way he expected. The next day, while waiting for the bus stop, the bully confronted another boy, blaming him for the note. “You’re threatening me, aint’cha? What, you want to protect that weirdo?” The other boy was Joshua’s lab partner in science class, and while they weren’t friends, that boy had only ever been nice to Joshua. The bully grabbed the boy by the collar and drew back a fist.

Before Joshua could do anything, Feed the Wolf appeared on its own. It strode forward and put one hand tightly on the jerk’s arm. The bully’s eyes widened as he turned to look at whatever was grabbing him. Feed the Wolf twisted the bully’s arm around backwards, dislocating it with ease, before driving one fist violently into the boy’s gut, hard enough to make him fall to his knees, puking. Joshua walked off, disappearing into the gathering crowd, unnoticed.

Nobody ever figured out what happened. But from then on, Joshua understood what he was really capable of. And exactly how he liked to deal with bullies.

---

When it came down to it, Hestia was just another bully.

Still, this situation is bad . Trying to use the knives he’d picked up would put the girl at risk. If Hestia got close, Feed the Wolf wouldn’t be able to attack due to the other man’s rubbery form. It knew from experience that it was strong enough to crack stone with its fists, but Hestia was immune to blunt force damage and Feed the Wolf’s strikes would literally bounce off. The one bright spot was that everyone but the girl and the two of them had fled the restaurant and there was the sound of sirens growing louder, but that did nothing to help the person already in danger. I need to find a way to get that girl out of his grip .

“Just hold still,” Hestia said, reaching forward with his free arm, stretching it out towards Feed the Wolf. “It won’t be so bad if you don’t struggle.”

I seriously doubt that. He’s probably the type to make it hurt anyway, just because I talked back to him . Feed the Wolf stood still, not moving at all, as the elongated hand reached out. It snatched Feed the Wolf’s throat, digging his thumb into the Stand’s trachea. Feed the Wolf choked, and it sensed its distant master’s throat close as well.

He smiled. That’s exactly what I was hoping for!

“What?!” Suddenly, Hestia lost balance. The wooden floor beneath him was shining unnaturally, like it had been polished to a mirror finish, and his feet slipped out from under him like he’d walked onto a patch of ice. Hestia stumbled, scrambling to regain his purchase, but it was useless. It was as if the floor was greased, and he could only slide around helplessly. His grip on the girl loosened, and his hand came free from Feed the Wolf’s throat.

As it did, though, Feed the Wolf grabbed it by the wrist and held Hestia firm. “ I told you, I can enter objects and control them! You were so busy gloating, you didn’t realize I had ‘entered’ the floor! ” Sure enough, Feed the Wolf’s feet had sunk up to its ankles into the floor, and now the whole ground was infused with its power. “ I can also alter the ‘properties’ of the objects I’m inside of. I manipulated the floor so it would lose all of its friction. I was waiting for you to go for the finishing blow so that I could catch you off guard. ”

“You piece of shit!” Hestia snarled, but it was useless. As Feed the Wolf grabbed the extended arm and pulled Hestia towards himself, the girl dropped to the ground and, with a timely return of the friction for just a moment, slid over to the front entrance, where she scrambled to safety. Hestia himself was yanked towards Feed the Wolf, totally off balance and unable to break free.

Feed the Wolf was now the one to grab Hestia by the throat as the floor returned to normal. “ You said I should just give up before. Maybe you should have been the one to surrender. It’s useless to fight me, now! ” Feed the Wolf pulled its foot free from the floor, and in the process one of the knives laying on the ground was launched into the air as well. As Joshua’s Stand grabbed Hestia, it also caught the knife with its free hand, and with a grunt, drove the blade into Hestia’s shoulder.

“Aaaagh!” Hestia screamed in pain and fury as the knife sank deep into his body. The rubbery consistency of his flesh did nothing to prevent the blade from piercing his skin and digging into him. “You motherfucker!” Suddenly, Hestia’s arm, still in Feed the Wolf’s grip, contracted onto itself, shriveling like it had been shrink-wrapped. In a moment, he had pulled free, and now he was staring at Feed the Wolf with intense hatred. “I’ll kill you, and that stupid red-haired bitch too, just for good measure!”

Feed the Wolf narrowed its eyes, the red glow behind its visor intensifying. “ You really are a piece of trash ,” it growled, voice seething. “ Are you sure you should be so confident? ” It turned and raised its hands in a shrugging motion. “ You’ll have to catch me first, you know. ” Jumping forward with arms outstretched as though diving into water, it disappeared into the floor as Hestia reached out to grab it, leaving the knife behind in Hestia’s shoulder. Then, as Hestia looked around frantically, Feed the Wolf emerged from the floor over at the doorway leading into the kitchen of the restaurant. “ Well? Are you going to run away? Or do you think you can actually kill me? Let’s find out, ” it called before disappearing, closing the door behind it.

---

This is obviously a trap, but I don’t care, Hestia fumed, stomping towards the doorway to the kitchen. He may have caught me off-guard once, but that was just dumb luck. A piece of shit like him has no chance of defeating me. He yanked the knife out of his shoulder and dropped it on the ground. I’ll kill him for this. I’ll make him beg for mercy before he dies . Once he was about ten feet from the door, Hestia reached out with his extended arm and grabbed the handle, yanking it open from a safe distance.

Nothing happened.

Hestia paused. Kitchens had knives, and his enemy had figured out that he was vulnerable to sharp objects. Most likely, Feed the Wolf was waiting to stab him as soon as he entered the room. Retracting his arm, Hestia ducked to the side of the door before poking his head around. No sign of movement. Hestia stepped all the way in, ready to defend himself. He turned around, highly aware of his surroundings.

There! Hovering just out of vision from the entry point was a knife, suspended in midair above the stove. Feed the Wolf must have entered the knife so that it could stab me from behind ! Hestia sneered. But it is a fool, because I’ve immediately detected its little trap . Hestia’s arm raced forward and snatched the knife, holding it firmly in place and preparing to snap it into pieces.

Immediately, something was wrong. As Hestia attempted to pull the knife closer, he found that it wouldn’t budge. It was ‘stuck’ in midair. Hestia pulled harder, suddenly alarmed.

The twine holding it up snapped, and the knife came freely to him. Hestia stared down at it. Indeed, there was a length of string wrapped around the knife, which had been tied to one of the hooks above the counter; that was what had held it aloft. Why was this up there? Wait …Hestia realized as he dropped the knife, whipping around to observe the other counters and shelves of the room. This kitchen suddenly felt very full of dangerous objects. This was the trap all along !

“ This restaurant makes its own sausage, you know ,” Feed the Wolf’s voice rang out, hollow and distant. Hestia turned in place, unable to pinpoint the source of the sound. “ It seems pretty nice. I should come eat here sometime once they’re done scraping you off the floors .”

“What are you blabbering about?!” Hestia exclaimed, putting up his fists to defend himself. There was a knife rack over by the cutting board across the kitchen and to his right, so maybe it was hiding in there?

“ I used the twine they make sausage with to put that knife up there. I knew you’d think I was going for the kitchen knives, so I wanted to distract you from my real plan .”

Hestia sneered. Still no attack yet. What was that stupid kid plotting? Whatever it was, Hestia was confident that nothing Feed the Wolf did could get through his defenses. This was a setback, but now that Hestia’s back was to a wall, he had full vision of the entire kitchen. Any attacks against him were futile. “What would that be then, you little shit?!” 

“ This .”

Something cold suddenly spilled down Hestia’s shoulders.

“Ugh, what the-?!” Hestia exclaimed, turning around, realizing too late that Feed the Wolf was on the shelf behind him. It had been watching from above, on the same shelf the knife had been hanging from. Because Hestia didn’t expect anything else to be hidden there once he saw the knife, he’d turned away. And this stuff all over him…it was cold, clammy, thick, and greasy. “This is-!”

“ Cooking oil, ” Feed the Wolf replied as it emerged from the large bottle of oil resting on the shelf, away from the stove. It set down on the other side of Hestia as he turned to face the center of the room. “ I can enter liquids, too, not just solids. Can you see where this is going? ”

Could he? Hestia grunted, cocking his head back. Oil was harmless to him. Some types of oil were damaging to rubber and plastic, but cooking oil wasn’t. And besides, his body only had the ‘properties’ of rubber; he wasn’t literally made of the stuff on a chemical level. This attack made him slippery, but it didn’t make him any more vulnerable to damage. What was he trying to do?

“ I guess not. Then I’ll demonstrate. You see… ” Feed the Wolf raised its fists. It snapped forward with a straight punch, which Hestia didn’t even bother to block. His face caved in at the blow, bouncing back as soon as Feed the Wolf’s strike ended. The Stand then stopped, hands on its hips and did not act again.

Hestia scoffed. All that, and for what? It was a successful trick, he had to admit, but it had accomplished absolutely nothing of merit. Hestia couldn’t even find it in him to be angered by the disrespect, it was such a childish maneuver. Pathetic. “Is that all? Honestly, did you really think a little hot oil is enough to slow me, Hestia, down? Let alone stop me from murdering you?”

Wait.

Hot?

---

Hestia’s eyes widened. Yes, the oil dripping down his face had gotten hotter. A lot hotter. It wasn’t hot enough to burn him, but it had definitely heated up after Feed the Wolf had struck him. “Wait, how…?”

“ Haven’t you been listening? ” Feed the Wolf smirked. “ I can manipulate the ‘properties’ of objects. That includes that oil. I can raise its ‘temperature property’ to make it hotter. Cooking oil has a flashpoint of about 400 degrees, where it ignites. Just like this! ” With no further delay, the Stand rained down another series of blows, and this time Hestia blocked, defending himself with raised arms. Feed the Wolf’s fists bounced off of them, over and over, and each time they did, the oil got hotter. Hotter, and hotter, until…

“Aaah!” Hestia screamed as his arms burst into flames. He was on fire, and his rubbery body did nothing to protect him. It hurt terribly, and all he could do was scream in rage. “You piece of shit! I’ll kill you!” He rushed forward in one last-ditch effort to crush this stupid teenager’s worthless skull all over the floor.

Feed the Wolf was ready this time. It caught Hestia’s burning arms, pushed them out of the way, and lunged forward with a roar. A rush of strikes rained down on Hestia’s torso and face, each one adding heat to the oil until his whole body had ignited, leaving him screaming in agony.

“ Muda Muda Muda Muda Muda! MUDA!!! ”

With one last cry and a devastating left hook, Feed the Wolf sent Hestia flying out through the side door of the kitchen and into the alleyway, where he lay flat on his back, arms spread. As Feed the Wolf stepped out of the kitchen to observe, the fire finally burned out, leaving the man alive but severely scorched, clearly no longer able to move or fight.

“That’s what you get for coming after me,” Joshua said as he stepped around the corner, leaning against the wall with his hands behind his head. Hestia could only moan in pain, having suffered severe oil burns all over his body. “Let this be a lesson to you; if I ever come across you again, I won’t be nearly so gentle. Consider yourself warned.”

---

Someone had called the police, and Hestia was eventually loaded into an ambulance by the first responders. Joshua had overheard that his enemy would take months to recover, but would live. Having this guy get involved in his life again would be unfortunate. Hopefully he’d learned a lesson about coming after Joshua Jordan. Not that he’d have let Hestia flee even if the bastard hadn’t gone into the kitchen; he needed answers, after all.

Unfortunately, this outcome meant that Joshua wasn’t able to get those answers. Who was Hestia’s employer, the one who had sent the man to try to recruit Joshua in the first place? Who was this thief that he’d seen, and what was her motive? What was it that she had even stolen? He had a lot of questions about this whole situation. It was all a real pain.

More importantly though, he needed to check on something that was much higher priority. “Maria, are you okay?” Joshua asked into his cell phone as soon as the situation seemed to be resolved. Her voice came through clearly.

“ H-hey. Yeah uh, I’m good! Why, what’s up? ”

Joshua frowned. Maria wasn’t a good liar, and it was clear she was shaken. At the very least, she was okay enough that she was able to answer the phone, but that was a low bar. “What happened? I ran into someone and they said they might have gotten into it with you. Did they try anything? Are you hurt?”

“ Uhhh…” Maria didn’t respond. Joshua bit his lip anxiously. “ Well you see, there was kind of a fight, and some weird stuff happened, but I’m okay. Was the guy uh, balding, black suit, kind of full of himself but also really foul-mouthed ?”

“Yeah, that’s the one. His name is Hestia, but nevermind that,” he continued. “Did he do anything with you?”

“ Sort of…? ” Maria said, unsure. “ It’s a little hard to explain, but I’m okay. He tried to attack these two people I’m with, but I…well, he left, so it’s all good now! ” The insistent chirp at the end of her sentence was telling to Joshua. Something had gone down, that much was clear.

“Okay. Why don’t I come check in on you? Where are you right now?” he asked. Maria went quiet; he could tell she was covering her phone’s speaker. Was she with the thief? That would make sense. If Hestia had attacked that woman at the cafe, it would make sense that Maria had stepped in to protect her. That seemed like the type of thing she’d do. Maria wasn’t at all a fighter, was the thing.

“ Oh, I’m at the cafè! No rush or anything, you know. I’m aaaaaall good! See ya soon! ” Maria hung up right before he said goodbye, and Joshua sighed. This was not good. Was she in trouble? He wanted to send his Feed the Wolf ahead to find her, but he was too far away; even Feed the Wolf had a limited range, although it could move as much as 200 meters away from him.

Joshua sighed. He knew she was trying to keep him from worrying, but it only made him more concerned, not knowing what kind of trouble she might be in. So he spent the whole subway ride checking his messages--she didn’t send any--and chewing his lower lip.

Today had been such a pain so far. What did he do to deserve this?. He wasn’t involved in anything important or significant, nor did he want to be. He was content to simply exist, and be left in peace. He had Maria, and Feed the Wolf. He’d made a living off of using his ‘Stand’ to keep himself fed and sheltered, and that was all. Joshua wasn’t ambitious or driven, constantly getting into conflict trying to achieve greater things. He didn’t have any great purpose in life. He was just…here.

And yet, this whole thing felt inevitable, or unsurprising. Like it was only a matter of time before his ‘power’ got him into some kind of difficult situation, or attracted unwanted attention. Joshua hated getting attention. He didn’t even like people looking at him, let alone trying to involve him in their lives. Why did all of this happen? Why had he even been contacted? Why was Maria put into danger because of this?

It was unfortunate. Joshua didn’t want any trouble. But he had a feeling the trouble was only just starting. He desperately hoped that he was wrong.

Joshua finally reached the café, and there Maria was, about 20 feet away. Maria stood, turned to the side with her hands on her hips, one leg pulled in, head turned to face him. She turned to look at him and smiled, and he could see that she had a bandage on her face and hand, which made him grimace. But then he noticed something else. Something that made his eyes widen.

Behind her stood another figure in a neutral pose, taller and more muscular than Maria. It wore a red, tiara-topped helmet with a narrow visor, under which lay a serious expression. It was covered in similar red armor over its entire body, save for a diamond-shaped opening on their torso revealing a white bodysuit underneath. Many golden rectangles and squares patterned the armor, and a large golden triangle was situated at the center of its chest.

There was no mistaking this aura he was feeling. This was the same power he had. The same as Feed the Wolf.

“Hey, Jojo!” Maria called, eyes not meeting his own. He was too busy staring at her Stand before she dismissed it and turned back to look at him. “So I guess we have a lot to talk about, huh?”

Chapter Text

Maria Ella was a pretty ordinary person, at least in her own mind.

She was nice, she supposed, and smart. People told her that pretty often, so she hoped it was true. She didn’t really want to be mean, or dumb. But otherwise, she wasn’t that remarkable. She got okay grades in high school, did well on the volleyball team, and got into college to study sports medicine, and she was doing pretty good at that, too.

Honestly, Joshua was far more interesting than her. She’d figured that out as soon as she’d transferred to his high school after her dad left. On her first day that fall, she’d decided to try to meet many different people to find out who she got along with. She’d noticed Joshua sitting alone and not speaking in class, even to other students. Their class was pretty big, but he stood out to her. And as the days went by and she made other friends, she saw that Joshua was still alone.

Maria had asked about him to their classmates, but they’d brushed him off, saying he was weird and creepy. Rumor had it that someone that picked on him once got their arm dislocated. They thought he was a psycho, but for some reason, Maria didn’t think so. She saw him sitting with a book by himself, and it seemed like he was lonely. It didn’t seem like he wanted to be there.

She didn’t approach him for some time, though. She wanted to be sure before she intruded.

---

About a half hour before Joshua did battle with Hestia’s Tame Impala, Maria sighed and leaned her elbows on the table as he left her alone at the restaurant, one hand on her chin. She was glad that he had come to visit; she knew he wasn’t the type of person to go out and do things on his own, so it meant a lot that he had made the trip. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t concerned for him. He was kind of antisocial, and she didn’t know if he talked to people besides her. She just hoped he was feeling good about his life.

Maria sipped her water and then called over the server to order a dessert. Joshua had already left his half of the payment, so she’d be paying for this, but the cheesecake was worth it. As Maria waited for it to arrive, though, she realized someone at another table was looking at her. She glanced up.

A few seats away, behind Joshua’s seat on the patio of the restaurant, were two women. One was blonde and pale, with a neat ponytail at the nape of her neck, blue eyes, and small spectacles. The other was black-haired with light brown skin and a shaved mohawk, and dark brown eyes. The blonde was wearing an open blue tracksuit with a white undershirt, with several belts around her legs and white arm warmers along with white sneakers. The dark-haired woman was wearing a spiked, black leather jacket over a gray shirt, a heavy belt buckle, and black pants with a number of chains hanging from them. She also wore black, laced boots and had multiple piercings in her lips and ears.

The blonde was definitely observing her, with her hands folded on the table, while the dark-haired woman was idly eating a scone while scrutinizing their surroundings. A large black briefcase tied shut with several belts sat between them on the table. Maria lifted her head to look at them, pursing her lips. The blonde met her gaze, and after a moment, stood up and walked over to her.

“I apologize for staring,” she began, her voice polite and formal, hands folded in front of her. “You see, I was hoping to meet with a young man named Joshua Jordan, and I thought that was him with you earlier.”

“What do you want with Jojo?” Maria asked, raising an eyebrow. Joshua usually grumbled when she called him that, but it was always how she thought of him. It was cute, and she knew deep down he liked it.

The woman nodded. “I understand your trepidation. I was hoping to contact him about a possible business venture. You see, I’m in a bit of trouble, and I was hoping to ask him for his help.” She glanced over her shoulder. The dark-haired woman had looked up from her scone and was gazing intently at them. “My name is Rebecca Locke, and my associate and bodyguard is Blair Garboda. If you’re friends with Joshua, could I ask you a bit about him?”

Maria frowned. It wouldn’t be good to just give away Joshua’s personal information without him present, and she didn’t know if she could trust this woman. It was odd for a stranger to simply come around looking for him, specifically. What are her motives , she wondered. Is she a threat to Jojo ? Maria wanted to find out. “You can sit, but I won’t guarantee I’ll answer anything,” Maria replied.

“That’s understandable,” Rebecca said, sitting down at an empty seat at their table. “So first and foremost, are you familiar with Joshua’s ‘ability’?” She folded her hands on the glass. “You see, he is possessed of an exceptional power, one which I was hoping he would use to help me with my problem. Do you know of such a thing?”

Maria shook her head, confused. This was getting more bizarre by the moment. Joshua was smart, a good cook, could read books very fast, and was athletic. He had various skills, but nothing she would consider a ‘power’. Is that supposed to imply that he can do something others can’t ? “No,” she said.

“I see,” replied Rebecca. “I understand if that’s a strange question. I suppose that first of all, it would be better if I clarified what I want his help with. You see-”

There was a sudden, violent crash from behind the two. Maria looked past Rebecca. The glass table that she had been sitting at was shattered, and the other woman, Blair, was groaning on the ground. The briefcase was gone, and as Maria looked, she realized it was in the hands of a balding man in a suit running down the street away from them. That same man had been sitting at a different table for a while now, and she hadn’t paid him much mind. Just now, he’d stood up and started moving, and she’d assumed he was done with his meal and leaving. Was he watching them, waiting this whole time?

Maria didn’t have time to question the situation. The thief was getting away. She burst out of her chair and ran after the man.

---

One day, Maria finally decided to speak to Joshua during lunch. As usual, he was sitting by himself reading a book. She got his attention as she approached and sat down next to him. “Hi! What are you reading?”

Joshua scowled and turned away from her. He looked defensive. “Nothing,” he replied. “What do you want?”

Maria frowned. Maybe she’d misjudged? Was he better off left to his own devices? “Sorry, I was just curious. If I’m bothering you, I can just go.” She stood up. Joshua looked up at her, looking a little surprised.

“Oh. It’s…okay,” he said. “I just…thought you might be making fun of me.”

Making fun of him? Maria understood now. He thought she was trying to open him up so she could hurt him. Maria felt sorry for him; that must have happened to him before, and that was why he was being closed-off now. What a terrible thing to do to someone. “Of course not! I’m sorry if I made you think that,” she said, waiting to see if he wanted her to sit back down.

“It’s…fine,” he said, expression softening just a little. “I don’t think we’ve met? Are you new?”

She nodded. “I just transferred here. I’m Maria Ella. Nice to meet you. It’s Joshua, right?”

He smiled, just a bit, before his more subdued expression returned. “Yeah.” He closed the book, carefully placing a marker in his place. “So where are you from?”

---

As Rebecca rushed over to her wounded friend’s side, Maria sprinted off after the burglar. Things were happening very quickly, and Maria didn’t have time to contemplate the situation in-depth. All she knew was that Rebecca had seemed like an honest person, if a bit reserved, and the man stealing her luggage was probably up to no good. She had a feeling this wasn’t just a regular theft like some kind of purse-snatcher, and that was all the more reason to involve herself.

“Stop right there!” Maria shouted as she sprinted after the man. She was always pretty quick on her feet, and as he attempted to round a bend and disappear into an alleyway, she finally caught up to him. He turned his head to look at her, eyes wide and furious as she grabbed him by the shoulder. She could easily knock his feet out from under him and grab the briefcase back. Maria knew a little about self-defense since Joshua had taught her ‘just in case’, so she was confident she could take this guy.

Suddenly, his body twisted. His upper half turned unnaturally until his torso and head were facing her even though his legs were still turned away. Maria’s eyes went wide as he reached out to grab her. Startled and disturbed, Maria reflexively jumped backwards out of his reach.

“Tame Impala,” he said, and his arm stretched out.

“What-!” Maria exclaimed as the man’s right arm stretched, longer than humanly possible, and slapped her across the face, drawing blood from her nose. As she stumbled, he snatched her by the throat and pulled her in before, with a scowl, slamming her into the wall between two dumpsters. Maria gasped, struggling to break free of his grip, but he was incredibly strong even with just his fingers. She couldn’t move, and even worse, she couldn’t breathe. He was choking her.

“I apologize for my roughness, my dear. It’s nothing personal, I assure you,” the man said, voice calm despite the anger in his eyes. He turned his whole body to face her now, eyes fixed on hers. “I simply cannot stand it when children interfere with my business. You had no need to try to come after me, yet you did. What’s more, you seem associated with a young man I need to speak to soon, and it would be inconvenient for you to contact him about this. Given the importance of my mission, and how much money I stand to make, I’m afraid snuffing you out is a necessary precaution. I’m sure you understand.”

Like hell I do! Maria gritted her teeth, digging her nails into his exposed hand, but it didn’t do anything. His skin was strangely rubbery in texture, and she couldn’t try to tear into it for the life of her. Literally, her life was on the line. She tried pushing against the wall, her shoes skidding uselessly off the bricks. Already, she could feel the air in her lungs running out, and she couldn’t break free. If she didn’t figure out a way to escape…

She could die.

“Hold it!” a voice called out. Maria managed to open her eyes and glance over at its source. The blonde woman, Rebecca, was at the end of the alleyway, a small pistol in her hands aimed at the man. “Drop her, now,” Rebecca demanded. Maria’s eyes went wide, but the man simply smiled and laughed.

“Now, now, Rebecca, there’s no need for that kind of escalation. Here-” before he finished speaking, the man extended his other arm, the one holding the briefcase. Rebecca’s eyes widened as it slammed into her head with immense force, sending her rolling across the pavement with a cry, the gun falling from her hands. “A certain someone wants you left alive, but he didn’t specify that you need any unbroken bones.”

Dammit. This guy really is a bastard , Maria thought to herself. But what can I do? If I lose consciousness, I’ll die, but I don’t have any way of breaking free of his grip. He’s still ten feet from me because of his bizarre arm-stretching ability, and I don’t even think kicking him would do much. I can’t bite or scratch him, either. How do I get out of this?

As she began to black out, Maria thought not of herself, but of her family and friends. Her mother would never get over it. Her friends would never know what had happened to her. This awful man would get away and get the chance to hurt more people. If he had this kind of power, could anyone stop him?

---

Joshua and Maria had gone to prom together, at her suggestion, as friends. He only ‘liked’ guys, and she didn’t really like anyone ‘like that’, but he’d been unwilling to ask anyone out. He treated it as a take-it-or-leave-it thing, his usual spiel about hating crowds, but she knew he’d feel bad if he missed the opportunity. So she’d gone with him instead of her other friends.

It hadn’t ended up being that fun. She liked getting a lovely, long pink dress to wear, and Joshua was adorable in his suit, but neither of them really liked dancing, so they ended up sitting off to the side, just hanging out and conversing like normal. That was fun and all, but they could have just done it at home.

Eventually, they decided to leave and play some video games at her place all night instead. As they got up and made for the door, though, one of Maria’s other friends came over, a girl with long black hair named Jenny. “Hey, Maria!” she said as she approached the two. “Where are you headed? We’re doing an after-party at my place, remember?”

Maria shrugged. “Just over to my house. We’re just gonna hang out and chill, you know?” She looked over at Joshua. He was staring off in a different direction. She could tell what he was thinking. He assumed she was going to leave him to go hang out with her other friends. She felt bad for him, because she knew he wouldn’t make a fuss if she did; he’d rather she do what made herself happy. “I can come to your party, but only if Joshua is invited.”

Jenny’s smile faltered a little. “Uh, well you see, we’re kind of making it a private friend thing, ya know? Sorry, but none of us really know him that well. But we all know you, so--”

“Sorry, I’ll pass. I have plans already, after all.” Maria smiled sweetly and walked away.  Joshua hesitated, taken aback, but he followed.

“You didn’t have to do that,” he said as they left the building and made their way to her car.

Maria glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. “Huh? What do you mean?” she asked, a little perplexed.

“Well, if you wanted to go…” he said. Maria shook her head.

“No. I wanted to spend the night hanging out with my best friend, that’s all. If I can’t do that, what’s the point of going to some party?” She laughed, thinking nothing of it. But Joshua looked bashful.

“Thanks,” was all he said.

That was the end of that. They went to her place and played video games until the sunrise.

---

Jojo would be heartbroken.

That was what scared her most. Joshua cared about her more than he did anyone else, maybe even himself. It wasn’t ego or conceit, but simple truth. If he found out this man had killed her, it would destroy him. He’d be so hurt and alone, with nobody else to look out for him. She couldn’t bear the thought of abandoning him like that. Even worse, if he doesn’t find out, that man just implied he’s going to meet with Jojo. What if he tries to kill him, too ? Her eyes snapped open.

Maria refused to die here.

Whatever was in that briefcase answered her pleas.

The belts holding it shut snapped, and the briefcase flew open. The attacker’s eyes widened as something fell out. A large fragment of some sort of metallic crystal, bright gold in color, came tumbling to the pavement. It bounced and rolled up the alleyway, past his feet, before hitting a crack in the asphalt. It bounced off the edge of the crack and flew up into the air, where it landed in Maria’s outstretched hand.

Maria instinctively grabbed it and gripped it tightly, feeling its hard edge bite into the palm of her hand, cutting a long and bloody gash into it. She grimaced and gripped it tighter. She didn’t know if this was just good luck or not, but this stroke of fortune could be enough to save herself. if she could just lift her arm, she could stab her attacker in the hand and force him to let her go. As Maria raised her hand, she gave a strangled grunt as she brought it down onto her assailant’s wrist.

It only bounced off. The crystal had disappeared. What?! How is that possible? I swear it was in my hand just a moment ago. Did I drop it? Was it just a false hope after all ? Maria didn’t want to give in to despair, but she didn’t see much hope of escaping now. Was she really going to die here?

“You little bitch!” the man snarled, face suddenly turning red with rage. “How dare you take that stone from me? You don’t even need to be here, let alone interfering with my plans! Die!” Dropping the now empty briefcase, he raised his free left hand and prepared to punch her in the head. Maria refused to close her eyes in fear, even if she was about to die. She glared back at him in defiance.

“ Hi-yah! ”

A red-clad fist suddenly appeared from nowhere and, with incredible force, smashed the attacker in the face. One of his teeth was launched from his mouth, and his entire body snapped back violently, like a punching bag that had been struck. The force was so great that it sent the man flying bodily backwards, crashing into the far wall like a thrown water balloon, his body spreading out along the brick when he impacted.

Maria dropped to her knees, gasping and clutching her throat. It felt bruised, but she’d probably be okay after a little bit. More important was the figure in red armor now standing protectively above her. No, not just standing; hovering, arms poised to strike. Maria could instinctively sense their connection, as though this was only an extension of herself, not an independent figure. She wasn’t sure how, but she sensed that she had ‘summoned’ this being to protect her.

“A Stand?!” her attacker yelled as he got back up to his feet. “That’s impossible! Who the hell are you, you random brat?!” Now standing on the other side of the alley, the man wound back his arm before stretching it out again, launching it directly at her. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll kill you just the same!”

Shwing

Something happened very suddenly. In the instant before the outstretched hand reached her, Maria realized that she was still between the two dumpsters. A thought occurred to her out of nowhere, as though suggested by someone unseen. If only she could have pulled one of them into the way of his attack, but even if she knew this ‘Stand’ was strong enough, she didn’t have the time. Even now, she wasn’t interested in trying to attack or kill this man; she just wanted to protect herself and Rebecca, who was still lying injured on the ground nearby.

Four points lit up on the area around her; the corners of the dumpsters near her, and above her, the corners of two slightly out of place bricks, each of which was above one of the dumpsters. The four corners drew lines between them, and in that moment, a shimmering, clear, solid barrier formed as the points connected and formed a new ‘shape’.

As the ‘shape’ appeared, it took the form of a large trapezoid whose four corners were the glowing points, a slanted barrier between Maria and the attacker. The man immediately stopped as part of his hand hit the barrier, and he screamed, because the other part of his hand, the tips of his fingers, was on the other side of the barrier. Sliced clean off, they fell to the ground, spurting blood, as he pulled his hand back to himself, crying out in pain.

“Damn you!” he screamed, stumbling backwards. The barrier vanished as Maria stood up and put her hands on her hips, staring him down intently with newfound confidence. She wasn’t entirely sure what was happening, but she could tell that in the last few seconds, she had managed to call on some kind of ‘power’ and use it to defend herself. Looks like the scales have actually tipped in my favor. Lucky me!

Cursing, the man turned and ran away down the alleyway. Maria momentarily considered pursuing him, but decided against it. She had to make sure Rebecca and Blair were okay, and she wasn’t sure what she’d do even if she ran after this guy. Instead, she walked over to Rebecca. That armored figure from before was still there, hovering protectively between her and the attacker as he ran and she crouched next to the wounded woman.

In her haste to check on Rebecca, Maria didn’t even notice the golden crystal laying in the still-open briefcase, as though it had never left.

Chapter Text

“So that’s basically what you missed!” Maria concluded her explanation. Joshua just stared at her.

By the time he had arrived at the café, Joshua had found Maria in good spirits and her two…friends recovering from their injuries. Luckily, it seemed that despite Hestia’s attack on all of them, nobody had suffered more than minor injuries. At least, none they admitted to.

“Do you need to go to the hospital? Your neck is bruised,” Joshua said, staring at Maria’s throat. She shook her head.

“I’m fine! It’s a little sore but nothing major.”

“Nothing major,” Joshua repeated. “A man with supernatural powers tried to choke you to death, and you say that’s nothing major. Not to mention the fact that now you have one of these Stands’ and special powers yourself, out of nowhere.” Maria scoffed.

“He beat you up, too, but you probably think you’re just fine, right? I can see the bruise on your throat.” He instinctively reached up and touched the tender spot on his trachea where Hestia’s thumb had plunged into Feed the Wolf’s neck. “I trust you enough to know that you’re okay, so trust me on this one. Especially since you never told me about your Stand, did you?”

Joshua sighed. I guess she’s right about that. Still, though, I had my reasons… “Fine,” he replied, looking around. The café was a bit disheveled now due to the panic from the attack. One of the tables had been smashed by Hestia, so they had been forced to close up early. Unfortunate. Joshua could really use a slice of pie at this point. Instead, he glanced over at Rebecca and Blair, who were standing off to the side, passively observing. “So, what are you two doing now?”

Blair glanced over at Rebecca, who stepped forward. “I apologize for the confusion. Like Maria said, my name is Rebecca Locke, and this is Blair Garboda.” She tilted her head, appraising Joshua. He glowered back. “We are both Stand users, and as established, I stole a valuable artifact from my enemy, who now wants it back. I can explain in detail somewhere more private, if that is preferable.”

Joshua harrumphed, crossing his arms. “The last person that said that tried to kill me, you know.” She adjusted her glasses as he stared at her. “How do I know that I can trust you not to try something scummy?”

Maria sighed. “Come on, Jojo. She tried to help me when I was being attacked by Hestia. If she were an enemy, she’d have no reason to rescue me in that situation. She could have just gone for the briefcase, but she didn’t.” Maria gestured towards the briefcase, now clutched in Blair’s arms protectively. “I don’t think she’s an enemy.”

Rebecca simply looked straight at him. “I will inform you that my own Stand has no combat ability whatsoever. I have a sidearm for self-defense, but I can give it to you for safekeeping if it’s comforting. That being said, I have no doubt that if I tried anything, you could easily defeat me in combat.”

Blair lifted her head. “Hey, don’t go around telling people all that. It makes you an easy target, Becca.” Rebecca glanced over and raised her hand in a calming gesture.

“I’m not worried about either of these two threatening us. I think they can be trusted. So,” she turned back to Joshua. “What do you think?”

There’s something off about this woman is what he thought. She was a few years older than him, in her early twenties, and held herself with a composed, mature air. He didn’t think she was lying, but it was clear she was the type of person who closed herself off from others. She was too controlled and calm despite everything. But still, Maria seemed to trust her. “Fine. Let’s meet in my apartment. It’s big enough for the four of us.”

Rebecca nodded. “That would be amenable. Will you take us there?” Joshua agreed, and together, they set off to the subway.

---

“Right, then, so what the hell is going on?” Joshua asked, sitting down. His apartment, as well as being in one of the less nice parts of the city,  was a little on the small side for four people in truth. Rebecca and Blair sat on his threadbare couch, Joshua and Maria at his ‘kitchen’ table. It was a studio, so his bed was off in the corner, and aside from the piles of books, there wasn’t much else in the room.

Rebecca looked at Blair, who sighed and set the briefcase on the sofa table. After fiddling with the straps a little, it popped open, revealing a small, golden crystal. “All of us should be at least partially familiar with the concept of a ‘Stand’,” she began. “They are manifestations of human willpower and desire, our ‘fighting spirit’. They can only be seen or harmed by other Stand users and possess special, unique abilities.”

Joshua nodded, glancing over at his Stand. Feed the Wolf was standing next to the couch Rebecca and Blair were sitting on, arms folded, watching them intently. A precaution. Maria, meanwhile, was staring at Feed the Wolf. “So you’ve just had that thing with you since you were a kid?” she asked, nodding towards it.

He rubbed the back of his head. He’d always wondered if or when he should tell her sooner, but he’d wanted to keep her out of any of his trouble. Not that that panned out for us in the end . “Yes. It was my first friend, and my only friend for a long time, until I met you.” Feed the Wolf nodded. Rebecca folded her legs, sitting very properly.

“Feed the Wolf, from the looks of things, is a long-range remote control Stand with a strong ego of its own, explaining its relatively high power and precision for its range,” she said. “Blair and I are both possessed of close-range power type Stands, which can’t move far away from us. I believe Maria’s Stand is also a power type.”

“How can you tell all that?” Joshua asked, raising an eyebrow at Rebecca. She looked calmly back at him.

“My Stand ability allows me to sense other Stands, among other things. If in close proximity, I can deduce their properties based on various ‘psychic readings’.” Blair shot her a dirty look, but she continued. “Because of this, I think it’s fair I explain my full abilities to the both of you, since I have approximate knowledge of yours.”

“Go for it,” Joshua said. Maria nodded, and Rebecca stood up. Spreading her arms, she tilted her head back as power flowed out around her.

“Starset.”

A silvery, metallic figure formed behind Rebecca. It was smooth and polished, like an abstract sculpture. Instead of a head, a red sun-like fiery object hovered above the neck. Its limbs tapered into points like a starfish, and appeared largely immobile. Its arms were reached forward around Rebecca’s head, forming a hoop or crown of sorts. As it appeared, a faint humming filled the air, and the sound of radio static crackled.

“Starset allows me to control electronics,” Rebecca explained as her Stand hovered, motionless. “I can use it to block surveillance from perceiving me or my allies, as well as gain access to their recordings and other pieces of information. I have been doing this almost constantly while in the city. I can also use surveillance to extend my own perceptions, such as sensing other Stand users in the vicinity when I activate it.”

Feed the Wolf reached out and gently punched Starset on the side. The faceless Stand wobbled in the air a little, like a balloon a little kid had pushed on, before righting itself. It made no effort to defend itself. Rebecca rubbed her shoulder, wincing. “However, it is entirely immobile and cannot fight at all. It’s completely harmless, in essence,” she explained.

Blair made an unhappy noise, and Rebecca glanced over at her and furrowed her brow. “That is the extent of my power. I hope that feels a little more fair?” Starset vanished with a crackling pop, and Rebecca sat back down.

“Makes sense to me!” Maria exclaimed. Joshua nodded. I guess I can’t be that intimidated by a big, motionless tin can. A person I can defeat is less threatening, for sure. Then again, physical violence is only one type of attack; I can’t entirely let my guard down. “So that crystal, you stole it from someone, right? What does it do? Why is it such a big deal?”

Rebecca looked over at the open briefcase. “You’ve already borne witness to its power. This ‘Heaven Stone’ is a relic, an ancient shard of a meteorite that landed in Cape York fifty thousand years ago. Some of the stone was harvested for various reasons, but the raw and unrefined chunks of ore make up the remainder. This stone contains a mutagenic compound, like a virus.”

“So it’s a weapon?” Joshua asked as Maria glanced anxiously at her hands. The cut on her palm had mostly healed already. Rebecca shook her head.

“No. None of us are in any danger. The virus does not kill indiscriminately. Instead, it awakens ‘power’ within those with the potential, the willpower to withstand it. It is believed to be an evolutionary tool, a substance capable of advancing humanity to the next stage of existence.”

Rebecca crossed her arms. “In the theory of evolution, outside stimulus causes those who are better-suited to current conditions to survive until they can reproduce. These survivors transfer their genes to their descendents, who inherit the ‘qualities’ that allow them to survive. Those that are poorly-suited will die instead, until only those with the adaptation remain in the population. This self-stabilizing process is ‘evolution’ and I believe that the Heaven Stone carries with it the ‘property of evolution’, granting some humans a sort of genetic edge over others.

“In short, this Heaven Stone can grant individuals Stands, so long as they have the willpower to survive the virus.”

Nobody said anything for a little while, until Maria spoke. “So by touching that stone, I was ‘infected’ and now I have a Stand because I have the ‘fighting spirit’ necessary?” Rebecca nodded.

“Indeed. Stands can emerge naturally, or be genetic, or be awakened by the shards of the meteor.”

This is a lot to think about , Joshua pondered as this went on. It seems like there’s a lot more to my Feed the Wolf than I thought. Meteors, ancient viruses, fighting spirits… I guess I’m not all that special. If lots of people can have these ‘Stands’, then what makes me important? Why did Rebecca and Hestia both seek me out?

“So what’s this about stealing the Stone?” Joshua asked. “Who did you steal it from, and why?”

Rebecca closed her eyes. “I stole this from an enemy to prevent him from abusing it. He is a powerful corporate leader in the electronics industry. His name is Woden Descartes, and he is the CEO of Bifrost industries.”

---

“I’ve heard of him!” Maria said. “Bifrost makes a lot of the computers and other electronics we use at school.” She paused. “Wait, is he a bad guy? Doesn’t he do a lot of philanthropy and stuff?”

Rebecca nodded. “Essentially. While he performs acts of good, it is a charade to preserve his image, at minimal cost to his real goal of amassing wealth and power. He is a Stand user like us, and his power is very dangerous. I don’t know the name of his Stand, nor have I seen it, but I believe he can control the minds of others.” Rebecca crossed her arms. “He is obsessed with the Heaven Stones, believing them capable of allowing him to achieve ‘godhood’.”

Godhood? That’s absurd. There’s no way a rock can make someone into a ‘god’, no matter how many viruses are on it. “So there’s multiple stones?” Joshua asked. “Where are the rest of them?”

“Scattered across the United States. I don’t know how they ended up this way, but there are a number of these stones, seven in total. I didn’t steal this stone solely to prevent him from using it, but because he could use it to expedite the location of the others. However, I can do the same thing now that I have the stone, using my Starset.”

“What happens if he finds all of them?” Maria inquired. Rebecca frowned.

“I don’t know, exactly. An individual stone does nothing for someone who already possesses a Stand. However, Descartes believes that having all seven stones would grant him immense power, perhaps enough to threaten the entire world.”

Silence. Everyone paused to think about all of this. Finally, Joshua spoke.

“That’s insane,” he said, folding his arms and crossing his legs. “So there’s these seven powerful artifacts, and what, you want us to travel across the country to find the other six?”

“Yes,” Rebecca said simply. Joshua scoffed. “I understand your trepidation, but I do sincerely need your help. This is a grave threat to everyone.” She sighed. “Besides the threat to the public, I should warn you that Hestia is only the first of Descartes’ agents. He will likely deem you a threat since you took one of his allies out of commission, and may continue hunting you down. It’s in your best interest to defeat Descartes, as well.”

Best interest, my ass. This is ridiculous. I haven’t done anything, and I just want to be left alone. Why am I suddenly being dragged in ? “How did you even find me?” Joshua demanded. “For all I know, you led Hestia straight to us.”

Rebecca frowned. “It’s complicated,” was all she said. Joshua crossed his arms.

“So you did lead him to me, is that right?”

Blair stood up. “Now listen here, you--”

“Hang on, guys,” Maria interjected. “Jojo, I totally get why you’re worried, but you mentioned an interview a couple of days ago, didn’t you? Wasn’t that interview your meeting with Hestia?” Joshua nodded hesitantly. “So he knew about you well before Rebecca and Blair even came here, right? So it’s not that he followed them, it was just a coincidence.”

Joshua frowned. “I guess,” he admitted. Blair sat back down, still glaring at him. I still don’t know if I like this. There’s something more to this that I don’t know yet.  “I’m not sold on coming along, though. You’re asking a lot. This excursion would take us across the country, wouldn’t it? And if Descartes is also after these stones, he might send more people after us, and we’ll have to fight them.”

Rebecca nodded. “That’s exactly why I was hoping to have you along. You are powerful and, I believe, trustworthy, and it would be a big help to have someone like you along to provide assistance. Blair is very capable on her own,” she noted, glancing at her friend, whose expression had not yet un-soured, “but because we don’t know what we’ll encounter, the more allies, the better.”

This was all ridiculous. Joshua had been in a fight for his life this afternoon. Was there any reason to get involved in any more? All of this was just Rebecca telling him stuff. How did he even know any of this was legitimate? Besides, he was no hero, just a random guy who happened to have a Stand. As Joshua opened his mouth to speak, Maria interrupted.

“Can I come?”

---

Joshua stared at her.

“Maria, no offense, but that’s an awful idea,” he said, voice tense. “You just awakened your Stand, and you don’t fully know how to use it. You managed to beat Hestia, but that was because he didn’t know you had a Stand. Hell, your Stand doesn’t even have a name! You’d be in terrible danger. There’s no way.”

Maria scoffed. “I already named my Stand, thank you.” She summoned it, leaning forward in her chair with her hands crossed. “Its name is Horizon, because this is a new horizon for all of us.” Her expression grew serious. “Besides, Descartes tried to kill both of us through Hestia. It’s obvious he’s a menace. I can’t just sit around doing nothing while he puts other people in danger.”

She stared intently at him. “You agree, don’t you?”

Joshua frowned and pulled into himself a little, crossing his arms. “I just think you’re asking a lot of us, you know? I’m just a highschool graduate. Maria is a college student. We may have Stands, but we’re ultimately just ordinary people living our lives. You’re coming in here telling us to go across the country to fight bad guys and, I don’t know, save the world? That’s a hell of a lot to think about on such short notice.”

He looked at Maria. “You know we could both die doing this, right? If Descartes hires people like Hestia to do his dirty work, they’ll act with lethal intent. Are you prepared to fight people to the death if you have to?” Maria frowned, hesitating.

Rebecca nodded. “I understand your reluctance. I have a potential compromise in mind if that helps?” she said. Joshua nodded, considering. “There is a stone here in New York City. A wealthy business executive recently donated it to a local, independent art museum on 5th Avenue shortly before Descartes could acquire his company.”

She continued, “Because the stone can kill those who lack ‘fighting spirit’ needed to form a Stand, it killed several of his employees, so he gave it away. The museum in question is currently closed due to the deaths of several individuals involved in installing the stone. The public believes the stone to be highly radioactive, and so a team is being dispatched to recover it in the next couple of days. No doubt that team will include some of Descartes’ minions, who will thus retrieve it for him.”

Joshua crossed his arms. “So the stone is in a safe place, but only for a little while before this ‘Descartes’ gets it. Do you think we can steal it? Is that the plan?”

“Yes,” Rebecca replied. “Your Feed the Wolf can likely retrieve it easily due to its ability to pass through solid objects without detection, as well as Starset’s ability to ‘control surveillance’. We’ll simply need to go there and wait outside while you send in your Stand to take the stone. It should pose no threat to you, and we can safely store it inside this briefcase.”

“Assuming nobody attacks us,” Joshua said flatly. “If my Stand is far away from me, I can’t protect myself.” Maria punched her fist into her hand.

“That’s what we’re all here for, right? We’ll protect you!” She grinned. “...As soon as I know exactly how my Horizon works. Uh…?” she glanced over at Rebecca. Joshua rolled his eyes. Not exactly a great show of confidence, Maria. Doesn’t do much to make me feel safer .

Rebecca closed her eyes as though concentrating, for just a moment. “Your Stand has the power to control ‘vertices’ which are points where two or more lines or curves meet. The corner of a box is a vertex, for instance. By connecting vertices, you can create an indestructible geometric force field with the designated vertices as the corners of the polygon.”

“Cool, so I have like, geometry powers now?” Maria said. She pumped her fist. “I’m great at geometry! Though…” she touched her chin in thought. “I wonder why my power is like this? I’m not a math major or anything.”

Rebecca shrugged. “Difficult to say. Stands are representations of one’s inner self and fighting spirit. It probably embodies something you desire subconsciously.”

Maria nodded, but shrugged. “Eh, it’s not a big deal to think about. So Jojo, are you ready to rob a museum?” she said, grinning at him.

Joshua frowned. This ‘compromise’ was a little easier to swallow, for a number of reasons, but he still had some concerns. “I guess we can at least take a look. But I’m not guaranteeing anything for right now, okay?” he said. Rebecca nodded.

“That is understandable, and I appreciate your cooperation regardless,” she said. “Maria, as long as you are well aware of the risks, you are also welcome to come along. Joshua is correct though, in that you will likely find yourself in multiple dangerous situations if you join our quest. Are you sure you’re prepared?”

Maria nodded, looking more serious than before. “Definitely. I won’t let any of you down.”

Joshua sighed. “I guess that’s settled then. Do we want to leave now, then?”

“Sooner the better,” Blair interjected. She hadn’t sat back down since she’d responded before. “If you’re so concerned about enemy movements, we shouldn’t give them time to move against us.”

Joshua bristled a little, but she had a point. “Right then. Let’s get moving.”

The four of them gathered together and, collecting the briefcase and a few spare supplies from Joshua’s apartment, set out on their first collective mission.

Chapter Text

Joshua actually liked museums.

Art museums, science museums, history museums, he enjoyed any of them. They were quiet, nobody felt the need to talk to him, and he liked learning new things. He was a big reader, and going to a museum was kind of similar to reading, but with images and objects instead of text. Not that he went out much or could afford to go, but he liked them.

Most of the subway trip was quiet. Joshua couldn’t help but feel like it was surreal; this morning he’d been planning on visiting Maria, getting a job of some description, and then probably going home to finish the sci-fi novel he’d picked up a few days ago. Now he was setting out to rob a museum of a powerful supernatural artifact to prevent a corporate CEO from getting it first.

Honestly, stealing from a museum was the least weird thing going on, and he didn’t even particularly like the idea of doing that. Strangely, though, as he leaned against one of the poles and stared off into space, he could see that Maria was bouncing on her feet in excitement. Rebecca and Blair merely sat quietly, so she stood out a lot.

“What are you so worked up about?” he asked her. Maria looked over at him, a little surprised.

“I just think it’s cool we’re going on an adventure.” She held up a finger. “And yes, I know things may be dangerous, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the fun parts as well, does it?” Joshua sighed. Someone is missing the trees for the forest, it looks like .

“Maria, this thing we’re about to do is illegal,” he said in a hushed voice. Fortunately, nobody seemed to be listening. “It’s not fun or exciting. We’re robbing a museum,” he hissed. “Take it seriously!”

Maria scoffed, “Okay, yeah, it’s against the law, but who cares? They’re gonna get rid of the stone anyway, so we’re not really stealing something they want. Nobody’s getting hurt and they’ll probably be relieved, not to mention safer. I don’t see what the big deal is!” Joshua stared at her. I’ve never realized she could be so cavalier about committing crimes. Maybe I misjudged her? Should I… ?

“Anyway,” Blair said loudly, interrupting their conversation. “Becca’s got the layout of the place on her phone, so you should take a look before we get there.” Joshua and Maria’s phones both chimed and they went to check. Joshua shrugged as he briefly examined the map before putting his phone back away. It was all pretty straightforward stuff, so it didn’t take long for him to figure out a route. Blair raised an eyebrow. “Done already?”

Joshua shrugged. “I mean, My Feed the Wolf can just go through walls, so I don’t need to know the layout that well to get through the place without a hitch as long as I know where the stone is.” Blair rolled her eyes.

“Fine, go in unprepared, see if I care while I bail your ass out.” Joshua bristled.

“Hey, I don’t even need your help for this, either. You’re just my bodyguard right now, and I’ve got Maria for that. Hell, you could just stay in your hotel getting room service and drinking wine for this mission, it’s not like we need you.”

Blair stood up. “Now listen here, kiddo, you don’t know shit about what you’re getting into.” She reached out and grabbed him by the collar. “First of all, I’m Becca’s bodyguard, not yours. If I have to leave you for dead to save her, I’ll do it in a heartbeat. Second of all, don’t act like you have a single idea what we’re doing here. You have no experience in any of this, so just let the adults take care of it, ‘kay?”

How dare she treat me like a child! Joshua thought angrily. I know way more about this than she has any idea of, and I’m the one we need to finish this mission in the first place. They can’t even do this without me! Joshua summoned Feed the Wolf on reflex, who stepped forward. As it did, though, Maria put a hand on his shoulder, and he flinched.

“Come on, Jojo, don’t get so riled up,” Maria said sternly. “She’s got a point that we’re the new guys in this whole business. We should listen when they have something to say.” Joshua opened his mouth to retort, but she continued, looking at Blair. “As long as they recognize that we’re still fully capable of doing what we need to, and that you’ll need to treat us with trust and respect for us to win. Am I right?”

Blair scowled, but Rebecca cleared her throat. “I agree with Maria. There’s no hierarchy here. We asked them to come along and they graciously agreed, so we should all be treating each other as equals, okay?”

Blair sat back down, angrily crossing her arms, but saying nothing. Joshua glanced over at his Stand, who shrugged and shook its head, not interested in pursuing this any more. Joshua frowned, but didn’t press it any further as he dismissed his Stand, and leaned back against the pole in silence for the rest of the ride.

---

It was late afternoon and cloudy, the sun starting to set, by the time the group had arrived outside the museum, which was a pretty basic two-story gray building anyone could identify as an art museum. There wasn’t much crowd on account of it being closed, and security seemed to be light. No humans were present on the premises due to the risk of the stone.

Normal people didn’t know why, but it had killed three people adjusting or installing it, seemingly of heart attacks. In truth, those people were ‘weak-willed’ and didn’t have the fighting spirit to control their Stand, so they perished. Unfortunate for them. Now, the four of them gathered, sitting on the bench across the street from the museum, and Joshua summoned Feed the Wolf.

“ Is there anything I need to do with the stone once I retrieve it? ” Feed the Wolf asked Rebecca, who shook her head. She was leaning up against the wall with one hand, her other hand on her hip.

“No, the stone in its current form has no effect on Stands. You can simply pick it up and carry it without any issue. Once it’s in our possession, we’ll store it in this briefcase with the other one.” Rebecca held up the briefcase to demonstrate. As she set it down though, she suddenly stood upright and summoned Starset. “Hang on,” she said as the air filled with radio static.

Joshua and Feed the Wolf looked around as Maria and Blair rose to their feet. “Is there an enemy here already?” he asked. Rebecca nodded.

“Yes,” she replied, “but I’m not sure where, only that they are nearby. The museum’s security system has not detected anyone; it appears to be inactive at this moment. I can assess further if you allow me a moment.”

“ Should I wait then? It may be risky to leave my master without my protection if there’s an enemy ,” Feed the Wolf asked. Joshua shook his head.

“If there’s an enemy, they may go for the stone. The sooner we get it, the better. I think you should go now. Besides, Maria is protecting me, so I’ll be fine.” He glanced over at her and she gave him a thumbs up before turning back to cover his blind spot, hands on her hips. Feed the Wolf saluted him and ran off towards the entrance to the museum. Joshua had noticed that Starset and Horizon never touched the ground like Feed the Wolf; perhaps it being long-ranged the way it was meant it needed to anchor to the ground? Or maybe he’d never had it try to levitate. He ought to test that sometime.

Watching through Feed the Wolf’s eyes, Joshua waited as his Stand approached the entrance to the museum. The place was indeed deserted, which was nice. Joshua had to resist the urge to stop and look at the paintings and sculptures of the place, because some of them were very nice, and he’d never been here before. Unfortunately, this is enemy territory, I can’t afford to dawdle for even a moment .

“I believe our enemy is inside of the premises,” Rebecca said after a moment. Her eyes were closed. “Their Stand is active, and it has a physical form, but I’m not sure what exactly it is or what it does. Furthermore, I can tell that the security in the building has already been disabled somehow.”

Joshua frowned. Since his Stand had left, he’d been standing with one hand on his hip and one on the side of his head, eyes closed to concentrate on piloting Feed the Wolf. “Well, I’ll keep an eye out. My Feed the Wolf can probably avoid it if need be by phasing into an object or the wall.”

The exhibit that the stone was held in was on the second floor, so he beelined in a straight line through the building until he reached the door to the stairwell. As he did, he was being careful to keep Feed the Wolf close to objects he could phase into. Basically any physical surface or structure that wasn’t a gas could be ‘infiltrated’ by his Stand, even the floor, but having multiple options was important in this situation.

While Rebecca maintained her Stand, Joshua phased his Stand through the door and finally reached the stairs to start making its way up them. “Anything?” he asked her. Rebecca shook her head.

“You’ve not gotten any closer to or farther from them since you entered. They may be higher up than you already.” She adjusted her spectacles, eyes still closed. “You should hurry. They may have already made it to the stone, and it’s only a matter of time before they can escape.”

Joshua nodded, commanding his Stand to pick up the pace. Instead of running up the stairs, they phased into the handrail, immediately gliding to the top at high speed. They then jumped out and entered the wall, phasing into it and then moving through the walls of the building until they reached the exhibit room.

The room was large, occupying the entire second floor and being at least 20 meters across, with a domed ceiling. Several displays lined the edges of the room, various statues and sculptures and at least one television. At the very center sat the key pedestal, a glass box, inside which was a gleaming golden crystal.

As Feed the Wolf poked its head into the room though, Joshua realized something. The room is empty. They’re not on either of the first two floors. Could they be invisible, or hiding? But why wouldn’t they have acted yet? Plus, Rebecca said I’m no closer to them. That can only mean…

Joshua looked up. There, on the roof of the building, hidden almost entirely out of sight, was a hooded figure. They were positioned behind a large vent, but they had a strange, golden object in their hands. It looked long and thin, with a number of strange ornaments hanging off of it that looked like little tassels. It was held in both hands with one end pointing towards them, like a…

Like a…

Shit. That’s a gun! A gun stand!

There was no time to call his Stand back to him or send it to the roof, and the moment he spotted them, they were already lining up to fire. “There’s an enemy! They have a ‘gun’ on the roof of the building!” Joshua yelled, pointing up at the target. Blair was already on her feet and alert, while Rebecca had her Starset out and seemed ready to take evasive action. But Maria…

Maria was faced away from the building, covering their flank, and she was the one in the enemy’s sights.

“Maria!” Joshua shouted. The gunman pulled the trigger, and as Maria turned to face them, it raced through the air straight at her. Joshua moved, shoving his shoulder into Maria and knocking her down. But there was no time to move out of the way after that. The ambush had worked. They got me, he realized.

The bullet embedded itself in Joshua’s body, and he crumpled.

---

“Jojo!” Maria shouted as Joshua hit the pavement, eyes closed, motionless. There was an intense surge of panic like nothing she’d felt before. A thousand thoughts raced through her head.

Was he dead?

How badly was he hurt?

Was he dead?

Someone had just shot her best friend!

Was he dead?

He’d been protecting her.

Was he dead?

Maria dropped to her knees to examine him. There was already blood on his vest, but it looked like he was breathing normally. That was good. Maybe the bullet didn't hit anything important. In fact, looking closely, the bullet had only hit Jojo in the shoulder. Had the shock knocked him unconscious? It didn’t look to be a particularly deep wound.

Maria felt a strange sense of calm wash over her. As if everything was slowing down, and she had the time to think despite the fear. Jojo was alive, which was the most important thing. The second most-important thing was that the shooter was still around, and probably planning to take advantage of the disruption to shoot again. Maria glanced up where Joshua had been pointing, and she saw that there was a figure there.

They just shot my best friend! Even more, now they have uncontested access to the stone ! “Heeeeey, pull Jojo back there!” Maria pointed to the alleyway behind and to the right of them. There was a dumpster there, and if they sat against the wall, they’d have cover from any further shots from the rooftop. “I’ll cover us!”

There was another gunshot, and Maria reacted instinctively. “ Arat! ” Horizon appeared behind her, fist raised, and as the bullet approached the back of her head, the Stand punched it, sending it flying harmlessly into the street across from her. Out in the open, I can’t make any effective barriers, but it looks like Horizon is strong enough to deflect those bullets .

As Rebecca and Blair carried Jojo into cover, Maria followed, watching over him, deflecting the continued rain of rifle shots. As soon as they were in the alleyway, she summoned Horizon again. Connecting the corners from the roof of the buildings they were between to the corners on the ground, she formed a tall, narrow barrier that occupied the entire alleyway. A bullet came flying in, but it bounced harmlessly off the barrier.

Maria sighed. That had been close, but they seemed to be safe for right now. She looked over at Jojo, who was laying on his back with his eyes closed, breathing softly. He didn’t look to be in any pain, and there wasn’t much blood even now, as though he’d only been scratched with a pen or something. In fact, his face was peaceful-looking. If I didn’t know any better. I’d say he was…

Jojo mumbled something incoherent and rolled over onto his side, curling up his legs and arms, as though he were in the fetal position. She’d seen him pose like this countless times, whenever they stayed the night at each other’s homes or apartments. Everyone stared in silence.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...He’s asleep,” Maria finally said. “So their ‘gun Stand’ doesn’t kill, but puts people into a deep sleep?”

Rebecca swallowed and nodded. “I believe so,” she said. Maria frowned.

“I don’t understand.” As glad as she was that he was only sleeping, Maria couldn’t help but feel a little underwhelmed. A gun is a tool for killing people, so why would they be fighting with something purposefully less lethal .

Another bullet bounced harmlessly off the barrier as Rebecca shrugged. “Due in part to our increased ‘resolve’ and ‘fighting spirit’, Stand users are resilient to harm. It’s likely being shot wouldn’t have been enough to put Joshua out of commission unless it was instantly fatal, which a shot to his shoulder wouldn’t be. This way, since he’s unconscious, Feed the Wolf was instantly defeated and returned to him.

“Furthermore,” Rebecca adjusted her glasses. “The enemy likely has better control over the bullets’ trajectory. Not to mention, it appears this ‘gun Stand’ can put someone to sleep even with a minor shot to the arm or leg, making it capable of defeating us in a single shot, unlike a normal gun, where an arm or leg wound will slow but not stop us.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Maria replied. She crossed her arms furtively. “I think we’re safe here for right now, but we need to defeat the shooter if we’re going to proceed, don’t we?”

It’s going to be difficult to do that, Maria realized. Jojo is the only one of us who can attack enemies from this far away, and he’s taking a poorly-timed nap. They have a long-ranged weapon up there, so we’re going to need to somehow get close to them.

“Any other enemies, Becca?” Blair asked, leaning against the wall. Rebecca summoned her Stand, before shaking her head after a couple of moments.

“The only Stand users I sense are the four of us and the enemy on the rooftop. I think once we defeat them, we should be capable of recovering the stone without issue.” Starset vanished, and the three of them all gathered. Maria’s barrier was still standing strong, and despite the occasional bullet flying past, none of them had been able to get through the shield. That meant they at least had some--

“Oh!” Rebecca gasped as a bullet grazed the side of her cheek. Within moments, she had collapsed.

---

“Dammit!” Blair exclaimed, whipping around to face the barrier, but the translucent, bubble-like field was still standing. Maria froze, looking back to the building to find the shooter, but they hadn’t moved. That’s not possible. The barrier is still directly between us and them; how could they have hit Rebecca from that spot?

It was then that Maria realized, looking down at the bullet now lying on the ground and the trajectory it had taken, that the bullet had hit Rebecca from above her. Maria reflexively turned up to look at the roof, and her eyes widened. A while back, one of the bullets flying overhead seemed to have embedded itself in the rooftop, and now, a small, golden gun covered in small tassels was pointing straight down at them, anchored to the wall with a square base.

“Blair!” Maria cried as the turret fired again. Maria summoned Horizon, punching the bullet out of the air. “It’s above us! The enemy can place turrets to fire from different angles!” Blair looked up and snarled. The turret was already priming to fire at her.

“Lacuna Coil!” Blair yelled, and a form appeared behind her, a muscular, feminine figure with metallic gray skin and a black leotard. The body of Blair’s Stand was covered in small chain links attached to it, with some of the links connected as chains running down its biceps and shins. Its face was obscured by black sunglasses and had no mouth, with a black mohawk protruding from the top of its head.

With a grunt, Lacuna Coil punched the wall that the turret rested on top of, its fist sinking slightly into it. Maria stared for a moment, waiting to see what happened, when suddenly a black, steel-like length of chain emerged from the wall next to the turret. As the turret prepared to fire, the chain sprouted to its full length, over two meters long, and lashed out like a tentacle, grabbing the turret and crushing it. Within an instant, the turret was smashed to pieces and rapidly disintegrated into nothing.

“I’d been hoping to prevent my Stand from being seen for as long as possible, but I have no choice,” Blair said, looking at Maria. “We should get these two into cover and then move on the sniper up there as soon as possible. We need to stop them before they reach the stone!”

“Huh?” Maria exclaimed, glancing back at the museum. There was no sign of the shooter up there. “Dammit, they got away during the distraction. They probably made a beeline for the exhibit!”

“Most likely,” Blair said grimly, crossing her arms as her Stand hovered behind her. “However, they have no backup, so as long as Joshua and Becca are kept safely hidden, they’ll be fine. That means its up to the two of us to hunt down and defeat this enemy and take the stone!”

Chapter Text

50% of enemies already eliminated , Artemis assessed as she watched one of her foes fall to the ground. Eurythmics is proving to be the superior Stand in this conflict, due in part to my super tactical positioning and strategic maneuvers. I estimate 85% chance of victory under current circumstances, increasing to 100% once I remove either or both of my enemies .

Artemis was technically Hestia’s partner, but that arrogant oaf was only an inconvenience, so she’d allowed him to go off on his own while she handled her side of the mission, retrieving this shard of the Heaven Stone. Artemis liked to handle things thoroughly and patiently, unlike Hestia who had unsurprisingly rushed in and gotten himself taken out of commission. I, Artemis, will not make such a careless mistake. There is a 0% chance I will carelessly throw myself into danger like he did .

The drawback was that her unfamiliarity with the city and cautious approach had slowed her down some, and by the time she’d reached the museum, she’d become aware that her enemies would arrive imminently. So she’d positioned herself on the rooftop to take them out. Sadly, one of the individuals--not one she recognized, so presumably one of Rebecca’s recruits--had noticed her, disrupting her ambush. That was a suboptimal outcome--she’d estimated only a 20% chance of being seen--but she’d managed to defeat him easily. This was the ideal outcome, because he seemed possessed of a long-ranged remote control Stand that would have been troublesome.

She’d also incapacitated Rebecca, the number one enemy of her employer, which was a critical play and increased her chances by 30%. Rebecca was capable of tracking and identifying the powers of other Stands. Defeating her meant her enemies would be limited in their information, the most valuable weapon conflict. Artemis herself was limited as well, though; the red-haired woman was capable of creating barriers, which was a small concern due to its ability to block her attacks. She was not familiar with the stand of Blair Garboda, Rebecca’s bodyguard, either. These are not insurmountable. Though there is a 70% chance their respective Stands are sufficient to avoid being struck by my bullets , I have the strategic advantage.

Now that she was in a good position and half of her enemies were incapable of defending themselves, Artemis was ready to venture down into the museum and recover the stone. With her sleep-inducing gun Eurythmics and the turrets it had created, she had absolute confidence that nobody would be able to reach her.

---

When Maria had started the day, she hadn’t expected to spend some of it putting Jojo into a dumpster.

That ended up being the best option, though, since it was enclosed, secure, and the trash had just been done yesterday so there was no risk of mishap and the box was empty. He was going to be unhappy when he woke up, but she’d take that over him being kidnapped or something.

Once their friends were in a relatively secure napping spot, Maria had dropped her barrier and had run alongside Blair into the museum. The door was locked, but luckily Horizon was easily strong enough to smash it open. That would probably have set off an alarm, but nothing happened. “Rebecca said that the alarms were disabled. It was probably the work of the enemy, since they don’t have Joshua’s ability to go through undetected,” Blair mused.

“Good for us at least!” Maria said as they made their way inside.

Maria wasn’t a big museum person. They were kind of boring, since she wasn’t big on paintings or sculptures or whatever. Jojo was the type of person who liked slow, kind of boring stuff like that and books, but Maria was way more into action, like movies and video games. It was a little ironic that she was the one exploring the place now, since he would have gotten a real kick out of that weird pile of cubes over there. Or that camera in the corner, which was probably a piece about surveillance society and--

Wait, that was just a security camera. It looked like it was turned off, too. Maria stopped and glanced around the hallway, and indeed, all of the cameras were slumped and motionless, with no lights or anything. “Hang on,” Maria said, and Blair, who was running ahead of her, halted in place. “Why are all the cameras off, too? Wouldn’t they be run on a separate system from the alarm?”

“The enemy probably disabled every measure available. It could be that enemy ‘put them to sleep’ as well,” Blair replied tersely. “I would bet on that, actually. Saves them the trouble of getting to the security room first.” Blair frowned and slightly turned her head. “Not to mention…hey, hold still.”

Maria froze, her eyes following Blair’s gaze. There was something nestled above the camera, a small golden thing with several tassels. It looked like… “So they got here before us, and planted some of their ‘turrets’ in case we gave chase.” Maria noted. It wasn’t the only turret, either. Every camera, more than half a dozen between this hallway and the connected room, had one of those little things next to it, hidden from view to anyone not observing the ceiling sufficiently.

“But why haven’t they fired yet? Can they not move or turn? I have an idea.” Blair reached into her pocket, very slowly, and produced a coin. She flipped the coin out into the air, where it spun three times. As it passed down the hall, there was a bang as the nearest turret fired, and the coin fell to the ground. It appeared to be entering a softened state, sagging unevenly into the ground. I wonder if that’s how ‘sleeping’ coins look .

Blair nodded. “It looks like they have a limited range of view and are motion-sensitive. Becca had just summoned her Stand when she was attacked, so it probably shot her because she was moving around.”

Maria crossed her arms. “That’s good to know, but how do we get past them?” She gestured to the hallway in front of them. There were no exhibits lining the walls, and no ‘vertices’ to connect for her barriers.

“Let me try something else,” Blair said. She summoned her Stand and as it appeared, pressed her hand hand to the ground. “My Lacuna Coil gives me the power to create chains out of any surface I touch, which I can then control freely,” she explained. And indeed, a long, black metal chain appeared out of the ground, firing forward like a harpoon down the hall. As it passed each turret, the turret fired once, its bullet bouncing harmlessly off of the chain’s metallic surface and then vanishing.

At the end of the length, about 10 meters, the chain stopped, its barbed, spear-like tip holding in midair like an outstretched arm. The tip wavered slightly, wobbling back and forth, and after a few silent seconds, the turret nearest the tip fired at it again. As before, the bullet ricocheted impotently away. Blair nodded, the trace of a smile on her face as the chain retracted. “So there’s a short delay after a turret is triggered before it can fire again, which we can use to get past without issue.”

Blair touched the ground once more. “I’ll use my Lacuna Coil to make another chain, and then after it sets off all the turrets, we’ll run down the hall, okay?” Maria nodded, crouching in a sprinter position.

“Ready…go!”

---

The plan went off more or less without a hitch, which was good because Maria had a lot to worry about to begin with, like if Jojo was still safe. She hoped he was having nice dreams, at the very least. Man, I am going to beat the shit out of this person for nearly giving me a heart attack. Shooting Jojo like that…that scared me. He was right, I do need to take this seriously .

Maria wasn’t a violent person by nature usually. She could fight--she’d taken martial arts classes for a long time, at Jojo’s suggestion--but at the same time, she preferred not to get physical with people. Jojo was the fighter of the two; he was tougher and stronger than she could ever hope to be. I hope that he can lend me that strength to win this battle!

The two of them made their way through the hallway and other rooms. Sometimes they triggered the turrets and slipped past them with Blair’s chains, other times they simply used Maria’s barriers. They managed to reach the stairs without getting shot at directly, which was a good amount of progress. “At the top of the stairs, we’ll turn left and then go straight down the hallway, and that’s where the Heaven Stone is being held in its case,” Blair said.

Maria nodded. She was still a little bit nervous. She had technically been in a Stand fight before, but it had been a very brief battle and she’d had the element of surprise. Here, the enemy was well aware that she was coming, and also aware of her ‘ability’ to create barriers. This would be much more difficult than fighting against Hestia.

Going up the stairs went without issue, which was a little suspicious at this point. Had the enemy just slacked off on their defenses and only bothered with one hallway of turrets? There has to be something more to their plan than just this. They must have placed turrets somewhere , after all .

As they reached the top of the stairs, smashed through the sealed door and rounded the corner, they found themselves at the corner of a big arched doorway. “This is it,” Blair whispered quietly. “I’ll cover you. Go check and see what’s going on inside that room.” Maria nodded and carefully approached. The hallway was dark save for the light coming in from the exhibition room. That told her that their enemy was already inside.

Maria carefully peered around the corner, gaze alert. This was the room Jojo had reached, the room with the stone, and sure enough she could see it in the center of the room under a glass case on a pedestal.

On the far side of it was…a woman. A svelte young woman, maybe a little older than Maria, in a black vest over a white dress shirt and long blue pants. She had on a flat cap obscuring her eyes and a pale face, with short black hair poking out. In her hands was a large, golden rifle covered in tassels with many straps lining its grip. The woman tilted her head up, revealing cold green eyes as she did.

“There is a 95% chance that you have reached this room,” the woman spoke. Maria’s eyes widened and she ducked back behind the doorway. “You triggered my turrets several times on the way up, but were not struck by any of my ‘sleep bullets’. This can only mean that, based on your trajectory and frequency of the turret shots, that you’ve reached this room.”

“Well, you got us!” Maria called. “You should also know you’re outnumbered, then. You may have a gun, but we can easily deflect your bullets with our Stands.” She crossed her arms, tilting her head toward the entryway. “If you surrender, you’ll walk away. If you don’t, we’ll be forced to use, well, force. So, what’ll it be?” There’s no way she’d have gotten this far if she was the type to give in to an empty threat. I know she’s got something up her sleeve. Let’s see if I can force her hand.

The woman chuckled quietly. “My name is Artemis, and I am an assassin and infiltrator for my employer. To be honest, this fiasco is not up to my standards, but I’ve been forced to make do as a result of the time-sensitive nature of this mission. Regardless…” Maria peeked her head around the doorway again. Artemis lifted her rifle and fired it, but not at Maria. The bullet embedded in the wall at the back of the room Maria was in, and the area around the hole seemed to sag slightly. Suddenly, small golden spikes began to emerge from the hole, and soon another turret had sprouted.

“I have already ensured my victory, with odds at 90% chance,” Artemis said calmly. “Take a look around, if you like. There is no getting into this room.”

There were turrets lining the walls, one every few feet, fanning out their sights all between the door and the crystal. There were even turrets on the crystal’s pedestal itself. Maria’s eyes widened as she froze. “As you can no doubt see, I’ve already made it impossible for you to reach the stone, or myself,” Artemis said, crossing her arms. “If you try to enter this room, there is a 99.8% chance you’ll be riddled with ‘sleep bullets’ and I can slit your throat at my leisure. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to retrieve the Heaven Stone for my employer.”

“Dammit,” Maria mumbled, ducking back into cover. Blair had already disposed of the turret in their room with her chains, but that was only one part of the problem. “There’s a ton of those ‘turrets’ in that room,” she said to Blair, who stepped past her and took a look for herself. Blair cursed under her breath. “We need to just go for it, I think. We can’t afford to stand around!”

Blair raised an eyebrow at Maria, but nodded. “If one of us distracts her, the other can get close and take her out. Then it won’t matter if she puts someone to sleep.”

Maria nodded, taking a deep breath. I’m going to have to just do it ! Stepping around the corner, Maria tilted her head back at Artemis. “Fine. I meant what I said. Now you’re in for it!”

Artemis frowned slightly. “Your ‘ability’ is to create barriers linking certain surfaces, but there’s only open space between you and me. The odds you’ll be able to launch an effective attack on me are lower than 10%. But go ahead; as an enemy to my employer, defeating you will only benefit me. If anything, your attack is optimal. For me.”

Maria sprinted forward into the room, summoning her stand. Dozens of bolts rained down on her.

---

Clink, clink, clink

That was the sound that filled the room as Maria raced along her bridge.

“What the-!” Artemis exclaimed as Maria sprinted forward, countless bullets bouncing harmlessly off of the transparent barriers she had constructed in midair. However, she quickly composed herself. “So you made a barrier out of the tiles on the ceiling and the floor.”

The roof was domed, but in the middle was a cross of square tiles, and that had been what Maria used as her vertices to make a ‘shape’. First, she’d created a barrier in midair from the top of the square glass container the Heaven Stone was inside of, connecting it to the door’s frame. This had created a bridge across the room about 6 feet in the air. Second, she’d connected the tiles on the ceiling to the bridge, creating walls that enclosed it.

Now she was sprinting along as fast as she could. Because the barriers were see-through like plastic, her movements triggered the turrets, but they couldn’t breach the shield, so she could run along unharmed. This is my chance to close the gap !

As Maria ran forward, Artemis considered her options. “I see. This is a simple but effective tactic to create safe passage.” Artemis stepped a few feet to the side, positioning herself behind the pedestal. “However, you have placed yourself in a choke point as well, making you an easy target!”

Artemis raised her Eurythmics and fired off a barrage of shots. Maria was ready, however, and immediately sent Horizon ahead of her. Her Stand yelled in exertion as it responded with a flurry of punches, sending the bullets flying right back at Artemis. Artemis didn’t move, and instead, the bullets simply vanished before they could touch her. The woman narrowed her eyes a little.

“You cannot damage me with my own Stand,” Artemis said as Maria kept running towards her. “My Eurythmics’ bullets won’t touch me. However,” Artemis raised her rifle once more. “I’ve discerned a critical weakness in your maneuver. Eurythmics!” As she called her Stand’s name, Artemis fired. Maria’s eyes widened.

That’s not good.

The bullet embedded itself in the top of the glass case and vanished. Immediately, the case began to sag, like a deflating balloon, its structure softening and smoothing as though melting. “My Eurythmics can also put objects ‘to sleep’, causing them to begin relaxing and losing their integrity. Your power appears to rely on the objects it connects to. Therefore, if I cause that object to soften…”

Maria gasped as the vertex her Horizon was using for the bridge softened and smoothed out. The glass box had ‘relaxed’ until it was more of a misshapen dome, and all of its vertices had vanished. With no remaining anchor points, Maria’s bridge vanished instantly, and she dropped to the ground, grunting as she landed in a crouch. “Dammit,” she muttered. She hadn’t considered that as a possible weakness of her own power. Now she was in real trouble.

The turrets need a moment before they can fire again, but I don’t have time to get out of the way before that happens. I have to stay still to avoid activating all of them! But if I don’t move at all, Artemis will just shoot me with her gun! Indeed, Artemis had already stepped back out of cover and was raising her rifle to point at Maria. “You were careless to think you could simply approach me like this,” Artemis scoffed. “Now get out of my sight.”

“Lacuna Coil!”

Maria turned her head to look behind her at the source of the voice. Blair was standing in the doorway, her Stand summoned, one hand on her hip and the other reached outward. A long metal chain was extended from the palm of her right hand into the air, with the tip embedded in the ceiling. Without hesitating, Blair kicked off the ground, pulled in her legs, and swung across the room at an incredible speed, hanging off the chain like it was a rope or a vine.

As Blair passed by the turrets, they fired at her, but she was moving too quickly, and with the aid of her Stand’s fists, they all missed her. Maria immediately realized what was happening. This is just a distraction. Those turrets can’t shoot me if I move now. She’s giving me the opportunity to move closer! She was quick to react, rising up from her crouching position and running forward.

---

While the two women approached Artemis, she considered her options. She didn’t move hastily, but instead waited to see what they did. As soon as Blair, who was moving faster, released her chain from the ceiling and went into a flying kick towards Artemis, she reacted. She raised her gun and took a shot, but it went wide. Blair’s boot slammed hard into her, sending the gun flying up into the air, disappearing into nothing as soon as it left the enemy’s hands.

Blair landed on her feet not far from Artemis, who tumbled across the ground. She summoned Lacuna Coil again, who raised its fists in preparation to attack. “You really went and pissed me off by shooting Becca, so this will hurt. Take this!” Lacuna Coil threw its fists forward, directly at Artemis’ face.

There was a bang.

Maria stopped, about ten feet away from the pedestal. She saw what had happened. When Artemis had fired her gun, she hadn’t been aiming for Blair after all. There was a bullet embedded in the base of the pedestal she’d been standing by. A bullet which had turned into a turret, and then shot Blair in the back as she attempted to strike.

Blair slumped to the ground with a snore, her Stand vanishing. Maria’s eyes widened. Artemis turned to face her, resummoning her gun. There was now about five meters between her and the pedestal, but Maria was trapped once more, surrounded by turrets. Everyone but her was sound asleep, and she couldn’t move anywhere without being shot and put out of commission. Artemis had all the cards.

The sniper smiled and chuckled into her hand. “That was some effective coordination, I must admit. If I hadn’t been able to place that turret, there is a 85% chance I would have lost. But instead, I believe my odds of winning this little conflict are now at 99%.”

“Dammit,” Maria cursed.

“I’m going to take this stone now,” Artemis said. She began slowly walking forward. “If you attempt to move, I’ll shoot your friend again, and she’ll fall into a permanent coma. Stay still, and I’ll let you all walk away.”

Fat chance , Maria thought to herself. This woman is our enemy, and there’s no way she’ll let all of us go, especially since we have one of the other stones. If I don’t stop her here, she could kill everyone! I didn’t realize she was so dangerous. Her gun that puts people to sleep is more dangerous than a normal gun!

All she could do was watch as Artemis drew ever closer.

Chapter Text

The situation could not be worse.

Maria was all alone and unable to move from her current spot, her friends asleep and helpless, and the enemy was closing in on the artifact of terrible power. If this thing was nearly as dangerous as Rebecca seemed to think, and this ‘Descartes’ was willing to employ awful people like Hestia and Artemis, then there was no way Maria could let this woman get any closer.

But what could she do? Her Horizon was a ‘power type’ Stand according to Rebecca, and it could only punch things within about 2 meters of her. The pedestal was three meters away, and Artemis was even further than that. It didn’t take a math major to figure out that she couldn’t reach her opponent. Her barriers were longer ranged, but reliant on vertices to anchor themselves. Artemis was slowly walking towards the pedestal containing the Heaven Stone, and Maria couldn’t do anything about it.

“Horizon!” Maria called in desperation, summoning her Stand. A barrier appeared between Artemis and the pedestal, but it was only about 4 feet tall; she could only make it through one of the sculptures along the wall, which was shaped like two embracing people. One of their fingers was pointing towards the pedestal on the other side of the room, so Maria could form a long barrier, but both ‘anchor points’ were too low to the ground to do anything.

“Hmph.” Artemis easily vaulted over the wall, even as another one appeared beyond it, crossing over them without issues. “Are you feeling desperate? That means you’ve already lost. You’re scrambling for solutions, but the more out of control you feel, the further those solutions will become from your grasp.” She smirked, just a little. “I admire you for getting this far given that you seem to be a novice to the world of Stands, but you are still unable to best me.”

Maria glowered. She didn’t bother responding. I can’t let her get to me. I haven’t lost this yet! She continued making barriers, some higher and some slightly off the ground, until there was one every few feet, but it was no use. As Artemis rushed forward and reached the pedestal, Maria had no purchases to make any barriers that could actually wall Artemis off.

Artemis swatted the sagging, ‘sleeping’ glass case off the pedestal, where it shattered into countless pieces. She reached forward and picked up the stone. Maria grimaced. “I believe that we are done here. However, I cannot allow your friends to continue to oppose Descartes. I am going to eliminate all of them, starting with Blair.”

Maria was really sweating now. It’s now or never…can I pull this off ?

“Farewell, traitor,” Artemis said, pointing her gun at Blair’s sleeping form. Maria couldn’t move. She could only watch.

The gun went off.

---

The bullet stopped in midair, clattering to the ground. “What the-?” Artemis said, confused. She pulled the trigger additional times, but it was no use. There was a barrier in the way, somehow. A sloped barrier, like an awning, connected to one of the barriers Maria had placed between pedestals. “How did you do this?” she exclaimed.

Maria laughed, partly in relief. “Blair put a hole in the ceiling before, remember?” She nodded upward with her head. Indeed, a perfectly square-shaped hole was in the ceiling where the spiked tip had embedded itself in the ceiling like a piton. From the near corners of that hole extended the barrier, forming a sloped trapezoid connected to the existing shapes. “The inside of that hole has ‘vertices’ where the lines meet and form corners. I can make barriers from those, too!”

“I wasn’t trying to stop you from reaching the stone. I was just trying to find the right angle to block you from going after Blair. Or…” she smiled. “From getting away. You’re trapped now, as well!”

“Huh?!” Artemis exclaimed, immediately turning to run. But indeed, the sloped barrier not only walled off Blair entirely from Artemis, it also blocked the way back, its angle too wide and sharp to vault over. Artemis was now trapped, a gleaming wall between her and her escape route. She pressed her hand against it futilely, turning back to Maria with rage beginning to emerge in her eyes. “Hmph. I guess I underestimated you. But no matter.” She raised Eurythmics and pointed it at Maria’s head. “I’ll simply dispose of you first!”

Artemis fired, and immediately, Horizon appeared and punched the bullet away, dissipating it. Artemis laughed coldly. “The turrets will now activate. You’ve accomplished nothing!” As she said that, the sound of several turrets on all sides of Maria went off, filling the air with gunshots. Maria did not move to defend herself; simply staring intently at Artemis.

The bullets never arrived.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Artemis yelled, getting flustered. She looked around. The turrets had all fired, but the bullets never made it more than an inch past the barrel. A shimmering barrier covered the ceiling. The bottoms of each turret, which ended in a square base bolted to the wall, had been connected by a barrier, creating a flat sheet like a transparent lower ceiling and separated all of the turrets along the walls from shooting towards the ground. Maria stood up and cocked her head back, hands on her hips.

“I wasn’t sure if this would work, but I had to try. I made all of your turrets the ‘anchors’ for my barrier!” She smiled and summoned her Stand, who draped its arms over her shoulders. “Don’t bother dismissing some of them either. They’re all linked in one giant rectangle. You’d have to get rid of all but two to make the barrier vanish entirely, and I can easily defend myself against a couple of measly shots!”

Artemis stared. She raised the rifle and fired a barrage of shots again, but round after round, Horizon was easily able to deflect them. The turrets went off, but their bullets couldn’t do anything to the barriers. Maria was completely in the clear. Artemis scowled, nervously stepping back from Maria. “This isn’t over. It truly isn’t. I still have a 5% chance of victory,” she said, raising the gun as though shielding herself. Maria scoffed.

“I think it is, actually. That chance is about to be zero!” She ran forward, and as she did her Stand raised its fists. Artemis backed up against the sloped wall, ducking her head and lifting Eurythmics to protect herself. “Horizon!” Maria yelled, and her Stand rushed forward. It grabbed the gun out of Artemis’ hands and flung it across the room, where it vanished. Artemis screamed in fear. “Let her have it!”

“ Arat Tat Tat Tat Tat Tat Tat Tat! Arat! ”

Horizon rained down punches into Artemis’ face and body, pummeling her into the unmoving barrier. With one final strike, it dismissed the barrier, sending Artemis’ battered body flying across the room, crashing into the floor with a groan. Many of her bones had been broken, her face was absolutely smashed, and she wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon. Maria turned to the side, one leg arched, hands on her hips.

“Have a nice, long nap, Artemis,” she said, eyes still filled with fury.

---

Joshua hadn’t expected to find himself in a dumpster, but life was just full of surprises lately, wasn’t it? Ugh.

“Where’s Maria?” Joshua asked as he and Rebecca climbed out of the trash. It had thankfully been pretty clean as dumpsters went, but the smell still lingered. Unfortunate. Rebecca shrugged.

“The enemy Stand user has a gun that can put enemies to sleep. She knocked you unconscious, and then me. Presumably, Maria and Blair pursued the enemy into the building at that point,” Rebecca said, adjusting her spectacles. Joshua frowned.

“So they might be in trouble, and we’re just sitting here napping?” he exclaimed. This went beyond unfortunate to downright terrifying. Maria had only just awakened her Stand; not that he didn’t trust her to take care of herself, but there was a big difference between some martial arts training and fighting someone with a magical gun. She could seriously get herself killed doing this. What on earth is she thinking?!

Rebecca raised her hands. “While I understand your concern, we should be cautious in how we approach the matter. If we’re hasty--”

“Fuck that, they could be fighting for their lives. We can’t afford to play it safe!” Joshua had already summoned his Stand, who immediately took off towards the entrance to the museum. There was no time to waste; if Maria was in trouble, there was no way Joshua was just going to stand around. He didn’t see the enemy outside anymore, which meant he could safely send Feed the Wolf away from him without risk this time. He just hoped--

“Oh, it’s you. Feed the Wolf, right?” As Feed the Wolf prepared to phase through the door, Maria opened it, with Blair following slightly behind her, rubbing her eyes. Maria smiled brightly. “We already took out Artemis--oh, the enemy’s name was Artemis--and recovered the stone, so we’re all done here!”

“ I… ” Feed the Wolf hesitated, eyes wide, looking taken aback by Maria’s sudden arrival and even more sudden victory. “ That is good. And yes, my name is Feed the Wolf. My master named me. ”

Maria nodded and kept walking past the Stand, waving towards a similarly surprised Joshua, who crossed his arms and glowered a little. “Blair got knocked out for a bit but I gave that gun lady a good pummeling.” She shadowboxed at Feed the Wolf for a moment, causing the Stand to reflexively step backwards.

Rebecca smiled as all four of  them got within earshot. “Well, that was an unexpected situation, but it appears we as a whole were well-equipped to handle it.” Joshua scowled.

“That was careless of us. If you want us to keep going with you, you’re going to need to be more on the ball. We could have easily been defeated, and by just one person.”

Blair opened her mouth to angrily retort, but Maria put a hand on his shoulder first. “C’mon Jojo. You’re right, we got caught off-guard, but it all worked out in the end, so let’s just take this as a learning opportunity. Next time we’ll be better prepared.”

Joshua sighed. I know she has a point, and yet, I can’t help but be unsatisfied. Maybe it was because he’d not gotten the chance to do very much in this fight. He’d been hit one time and been knocked out cold, and who knows what could have happened while he was like that? They basically got lucky that everyone was fine. Joshua didn’t like needing to rely on luck, especially when his and others' lives were at stake.

“Right, then,” Joshua said as Maria was in the process of handing off the stone to Rebecca, who carefully opened her briefcase to stow it away. “What’s our next move? Any more people in this city we have to worry about?”

Rebecca shook her head. “I don’t know of any other agents of Descartes in this city. I believe we should be safe for now. However…” Rebecca glanced up at one of the security cameras on a telephone pole a few meters away. “He has extensive access to surveillance across the nation, including here. I’ve been using my Stand to conceal us so far, but it may still be best to go somewhere else to discuss our next move, especially since I briefly lost consciousness.”

“Right, Jojo's apartment, then?” Maria asked. Joshua sighed, but he knew there was no arguing with her, especially because it really was the best option. He had little choice but to go along with it. Unfortunate.

---

The mood was a little cheerier, yet also more serious, as the group rode the subways for the third or fourth time today, at least in Joshua’s case. Once the initial bustle had died down, the fact they’d ultimately won did feel good. But at the same time, the unexpected threat emerging and catching them all off-guard weighed on everyone. I can’t afford to be careless like that. Such a misstep could be fatal; there’s no room for error if we keep at this

“So, we have two of the stones! How many are there again?” Maria asked as everyone gathered in similar positions to last time in Joshua’s little studio. “We just need to get all of them and then we win?”

Rebecca cleared her throat. “The key thing to know is that the stones are drawn to each other. Despite currently being scattered, they will eventually come together. If Descartes obtains even one of the stones, he’ll be able to seek out the others. We need to gather all of them together so that we can dispose of them safely, and ensure he never finds them.” She adjusted her glasses. “That said, I believe there to be eight stones in total. That means there are six remaining.”

“Where are they all?” Joshua asked, standing up to pace. “From the sound of things, the stones aren’t all in New York. Descartes is influential and rich enough to pull a lot of folks, so the city would be swarming with his guys if he could concentrate them in one place.” He folded his arms and leaned back against the wall. “So since we only fought one woman and not thirty goons, they must be spread out as well.”

Rebecca nodded. “Precisely. The stones are spread out across the country. There is currently one in Chicago, one in Seattle, one in Boulder City, Nevada, one in the Mojave Desert, and one in Boston.”

“So let’s go to the Boston one first! That’s closest, right? Or, is it Chicago…?” Maria paused to consider, counting distance on her fingers. Joshua sighed.

“It’s not that simple, is it?” he said, looking at Rebecca. “Descartes has his people after them as well. It’s more important we intercept them than we just get there fast.”

Rebecca nodded. “You are correct. That said…” she considered for a moment. Joshua raised an eyebrow. “Descartes’ information on the locations of the stones is imprecise. He is closer to finding the stones to the north of here, in Chicago and Seattle. The southeast stones are only vaguely known to him as being in the region, and the one in Boston is entirely secret. He doesn’t know where that last stone is.”

“How do you know?” Joshua asked, scrutinizing Rebecca. He was starting to get the sense Rebecca was not being as honest as she had claimed to be. “It seems like you know a lot about Descartes and have access to ‘special information’ of his. Also, why is the stone even scattered? Are they from the same original stone, or are they separate?”

She adjusted her spectacles and turned away. “Descartes and I…cooperated for a time. I was unaware of his goals, and he used my ability to find the stones, as well as locate many of his potential allies, including you.” She sighed. “I didn’t want to tell you because--”

“Because you worked for the enemy?” Joshua said sharply. “How do we know we can trust you if that’s the case? Maybe you’re trying to get us all working for Descartes without us knowing.”

Blair growled. “Oh come on, you’re seriously questioning us now? We just fought off two of Descartes’ allies, why would we ever do that if we were on his side? Are you stupid or something?”

Bristling, Joshua went to reply, but Maria spoke first. “C’mon Jojo, she was scared you’d take it the wrong way. If she was deceiving us, why would she be honest now?” She jabbed a thumb at Rebecca, who had turned her head away entirely. “See? She knew you’d react this way, that’s all. Besides, Hestia and Artemis both attacked all four of us indiscriminately. It’s clear Descartes is our shared enemy.”

Joshua frowned. “You didn’t answer my question about how the stone got separated. Do you seriously know this much about them, but not where they came from?”

Rebecca shook her head. “I know that they were once part of a whole, but not how they came to be separated.”

She didn’t elaborate. I suppose I have no choice but to accept that for now. Unfortunate . “Regardless, I believe that, assuming you’re willing to accompany us, our best course of action is to travel west, to Chicago. The stone there is likely under Descartes’ scrutiny, but because of the circumstances of that stone, he is hesitating to respond. But he will not wait for long.”

“What sort of circumstances?” Joshua asked, raising an eyebrow. Rebecca folded her arms.

“A small criminal organization that calls themselves Bluesky has recovered the stone and is using it to empower their members,” Rebecca explained. “They won’t relinquish it without a fight, I expect. Descartes is power-hungry, but he is reluctant to rush into a direct confrontation like this.”

“What, like a street gang?” Maria said. Joshua frowned. That’s what it sounds like to me. Don’t like that at all, really . And indeed, Rebecca nodded, confirming his fears. “How big is it?”

“I’m not sure. I know only a few of their members are possessed of Stands. It appears that they restrict who has permission to gain a Stand to an elite few.” Rebecca opened up her briefcase and, from a separate pouch than the two stones, produced a laptop. “I’ll be renting a car shortly that will allow us to travel without issue. I can use my Stand to prevent anything we do from appearing on Descartes’ surveillance.”

Rebecca adjusted her glasses. “We can leave tomorrow…assuming you are both willing to accompany us? I will cover any financial expenses that come up as a result of this trip.”

Joshua frowned. Everyone was suddenly looking at him expectantly. This isn’t an easy thing to commit to just on the spot, you know! He at least didn’t have any work obligations for a few weeks and he was ahead on rent, so money wasn’t a concern. But then, in a time like this, money was the least of his worries. “Don’t you have class?” he asked Maria.

Maria shrugged. “Hey, this is important! Besides, I do a lot of my stuff online anyway, so I don’t have to commute to class. I’ll just say an emergency came up. My professors all like me, so I’m sure they won’t mind!” She smiled innocently. Suspiciously so. She’s definitely really invested in this whole thing. I guess I’m not surprised; she always was the type to get involved in problems when she felt it was needed .

“Ugh…” Joshua leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. He tilted his head back, looking at the ceiling. “You said if I don’t deal with this ‘Descartes’, then he’s just going to continue to send more enemies after me?”

Rebecca nodded. “I don’t intend to make this out to be a threat, but rather a warning. Descartes does not like to leave loose ends open. Knowing you have refused his offer makes you a threat, and I sincerely believe he is liable to target you after the fact.”

Joshua groaned again. “Then I guess I don’t really have a choice, do I?” He sighed and closed his eyes, thinking to himself for a little while. To be honest, I understand why this is serious. If just one of these stones is so highly coveted, and can give this kind of power to Maria out of nowhere, then they must be both dangerous and important. Plus, Maria seems to trust these two. I know her judgment of others is good enough that I believe she’s right, even though I think Rebecca is hiding something.

The truth is, I just don’t know if I’m needed for all of this. This Rebecca woman seems to think I have it in me to travel across the entire country and potentially fight a lot of fellow ‘Stand users’ to even make it out alive, let alone retrieve these Heaven Stones. I’m confident in my Feed the Wolf, but I’m realizing now just how little I really know about all of this. Am I just sending myself to my death? Maybe I‘d just be a burden, and Maria would be better off going at it alone, without me holding her back.

…Alone…

“Fine. I’ll do it,” he said, slumping his shoulders in resignation. “It seems like you’ll need my help, and it’d be a pain sitting around and letting the enemy come to me. I might as well go out and take care of them myself.”

Maria smiled.

Chapter Text

The night had passed without incident, so that was a welcome reprieve.

Blair and Rebecca had stayed to plan out their route for a little while before heading to their hotel for the night. Joshua didn’t invite them to sleep over, but Maria stayed. They made dinner, watched a movie, and just generally hung out. It was nice. They didn’t even talk about Stands or battles or anything, just the same sort of things they talked about at the cafè. It’s been too long since we just spent some time together. It’s been lonely living on my own, not seeing her daily like at school.

Maria, though, seemed a little distracted for a lot of that time, and as she got ready to sleep on his couch while he got into bed, she spoke. “Hey, are you sure about this?” she asked, looking over at him. “I know you’re not, really, and I don’t think you should come along if you feel forced, okay?”

Joshua shrugged. “Like I said, not much choice. If they’re coming after me, I shouldn’t just sit idly while it happens.” There’s more to it than that, of course, but she doesn’t need to worry about all of that. I don’t want her to get the wrong idea .

“Maybe I should stay too, so I can cover your back.” Maria offered. Joshua sighed.

“No, you want to go. I don’t want to hold you back.” Joshua replied. She’s invested in helping these two. It wouldn’t be right to force her to stay for my sake. She has better things to do with her life than sit around watching over me.

Maria sighed as well. “I just worry, is all.”

“About me?” Joshua asked.

“Yeah.” Maria shrugged. “You sometimes try to be more independent than you need to be, and you get yourself in trouble. I don’t want you to feel like you need to prove anything.”

Joshua stared at the wall, unsure how to reply. Is she…right ? I can’t really tell. I don’t think I need to prove myself, really. I know where I stand in this world, and I know there’s not much I can do to change it . “I’m going to go to sleep,” he said finally. Maria nodded.

“‘Kay. See you tomorrow. I think it’ll be fun. Goodnight!”

Maria was asleep shortly after, but Joshua laid awake. He summoned his Stand, who stood over his bed, watching him. “Do you think I’m making the right decision? To come along?” he asked quietly, careful not to wake Maria.

Feed the Wolf shook its head. “ I can’t decide that for you, master. My goal is to protect you and make you happy, that’s all. Whatever I can do to do that, I will. ” The armored figure crossed its arms. “ But I cannot make decisions for you. What is right for you is on you to decide. ”

Joshua sighed. “I guess. I don’t know, it’s like, I’m thinking ‘can I really do this’?” he admitted, checking that Maria was still asleep. “I have you, but can I keep up with everyone else? We basically did nothing at the museum. Am I even needed? This is important. Descartes seems like a menace that could hurt a lot of innocent people. I’m scared of going along if I screw things up.”

Feed the Wolf considered, seeming to scratch its chin. “ I think you’re very capable. We made a mistake, but Rebecca and Blair were also incapacitated, not just you. If we’re to be a team, you can rely on others, like how Maria defeated Artemis. I’m sure they’ll be better off having you along if that’s the choice you make. ”

Joshua sighed. Feed the Wolf was his Stand; it was probably obligated to say what he wanted to hear. “Don’t tell anyone that I’m thinking of it this way, either.” Joshua didn’t want to come off as a softie. If he appeared too emotionally vulnerable, he knew people would use it against him. Better to appear to be more self-interested and detached so he could better protect himself, Maria, and anyone else. “We’ll see, I guess,”

Rolling over, Joshua left his Stand to watch over him like he usually did. He alway slept better in the company of someone else. Even if that someone was, in a way, a part of himself.

---

“By the way,” Blair said as she walked alongside Joshua and Maria down the street towards the car rental place. It was the day after the incident at the museum, and Rebecca had already headed over there to set things up, so they’d had some time to get ready. Joshua packed light at least, but Maria had needed to run home to get her stuff, and she came back with a big suitcase. “We’re making a detour to Pittsburgh on the way there.”

“What? Why?” Joshua asked. He’d gone over the map and that was a couple of hours out of the way. “There’s no stone there, right? What do we need to do?”

“There’s someone we need to meet in Pittsburgh, according to Rebecca.” Blair shrugged. “I don’t know the details, just that she said its important.” Joshua sighed. Why didn’t she tell us this last night? There’s no reason to drop last-second changes of plan on us like this. Did something come up ?

Finally, they found Rebecca leaning against a large white station wagon in the parking lot, arms folded. “Ah, good, you’re just in time.” Rebecca stood upright and approached them. “The tank is already full, so we should be able to make the trip with only four or five stops at most. One of those stops will involve a slight detour to Pittsburgh. The drive will take about--”

“What’s in Pittsburgh?” Joshua interrupted. Rebecca adjusted her spectacles.

“I see Blair informed you already. There is a potential ally we need to meet there. As you can see, this car has room for at least five people plus our luggage.” She patted on the side of the car. “I learned of this young woman through my resources under Descartes, but he doesn’t know that she exists. She has a Stand power that is potentially very helpful, so I would like to try to recruit her to our cause.”

“Like how you came to Jojo?” Maria asked. Rebecca nodded, and Joshua frowned. That makes sense, but why didn’t she tell us before ?

“What kind of Stand power does she have?” Joshua asked as he started loading his luggage into the car.

“She possesses a ‘healing’ Stand that can mend the wounds of herself and others,” Rebecca elaborated. “I’m not sure of the specifics, but I know that to be its primary effect. Obviously, we may suffer significant injuries over the course of our mission, and while she doesn’t need to assist in our battles, her power will be very useful to us.”

Joshua nodded slowly. He could understand that at the very least. “Can you tell us anything else about her?” he asked.

“I didn’t try to pry too much, but her name is Alice Fang, and she’s a little younger than you, I think. Still in high school, as it happens.” Rebecca replied after a pause. Maria put her hand to her chin.

“Is it safe to bring her along, then? I mean, I’m only 19, and so is Jojo, but there’s still a big difference between that and a teenager still in school.” Joshua frowned. She may be right. If this ‘Alice’ is just a kid, well, this mission could be very dangerous. We shouldn’t bring her along lightly. Is that why Rebecca didn’t tell us before?

Rebecca nodded. “It’s an understandable concern, but she’s welcome to decline if she doesn’t feel comfortable. In fact, if at any point in the journey someone feels they cannot go on, I will personally fund their immediate return.

“Furthermore, Stands are possessed by people with powerful spirits and wills. A young person that is a Stand user is probably very strong-willed and capable despite their age,” Rebecca said.

“Huh,” Joshua said, crossing his arms. “I first developed my Stand when I was only six years old. Does that mean I had a strong ‘fighting spirit’ back then, as well?” It was strange to consider. He didn’t think of himself as a particularly strong person, not more than anyone else. If anything, Maria was always the stronger of the two of us, always lifting me up.

“Well, Stands are also genetic,” Blair said. “If your parents had a Stand, it’s more likely you’ll inherit one yourself, regardless of your aptitude.” Joshua frowned a little, but didn’t ask any further. He didn’t know if his parents had Stands, after all; they were dead. He’d never even spoken to them, really, so who knew?

“If you’re both prepared, we can set out immediately. Blair will be my navigator, so you two can share the back.” Rebecca climbed into the driver’s seat of the car. Joshua could accept that, at least; he and Maria were comfortable being close to each other. They’d often fallen asleep on her couch watching movies. He’d been a little relieved when he came out to her mom and she said she’d always known; he’d worried their closeness might have given the wrong impression. But he still remembered what she said.

“ I can see the love you and Maria have for one another. It may not be romantic, but it’s definitely there. I’m so happy to know my daughter has someone like you in her life .”

Joshua bit his lip. Why was he thinking about that now? Maria’s mom was at her home, and they had far more important things to worry about than random memories. “Right then. Let’s get going,” he said, climbing into the car.

---

It had only been about six hours, but Joshua was already regretting only packing five books.

It had seemed like plenty at the time. He wasn’t too worried about the weight, since he didn’t expect to be fighting while holding his luggage, so he’d decided to be better off packing extra. He normally took his time with his reading, and got through about one book every three days. Since they weren’t sure how long the trip would be, two weeks seemed like a good starting point, and he could always buy more on the way if he ran out.

But he’d never really been on a long car ride before, and it was insanely boring. Maria tried to get Blair and Rebecca to talk about themselves, but the two were tight-lipped. All they admitted was that they’d known each other since they were kids, had been co-workers, and that when Rebecca had turned away from Descartes, Blair had followed without hesitation.

Joshua and Maria had discussed the movie from last night for a little while, but eventually Maria wanted to spend some time watching out the window, since she’d never been this far from the city before. So conversation died down pretty quickly, and soon enough Joshua was halfway done with his first novel, and it was still only the first day of their trip. At this rate, he’d be out of books by tomorrow evening, and then what? Ugh, this is so unfortunate .

The view was kind of nice, at least, so once Joshua realized that he was getting too far ahead of schedule, he spent a lot of time staring out the window himself. He hadn’t gone outside of New York City since he was a baby when he was sent to live with his aunt. It was a little weird seeing all of these open fields and trees after a lifetime of skyscrapers. It seemed both emptier and more full than anywhere he’d ever been, even compared to the parks of Manhattan. It was almost overwhelming, seeing so much of the sky at once.

“We’re almost there,” Blair said at some point while Joshua was dozing off in the midst of his sightseeing. Once they’d gotten to Pittsburgh, the skyscrapers started to feel familiar, and he’d gotten bored of that, too. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. “You two don’t need to come talk to her, we can just go ourselves.” By this point, the tall buildings had given way to a residential area.

“If it’s okay, I think we should meet her too!” Maria said, sitting upright in her seat. She seemed absolutely delighted by the opportunity to talk to someone new and not grimly focused on their solemn quest or whatever. “If we’re going to have her along, she may as well get to meet all of the people she’s traveling with, right?”

Joshua sighed, but Rebecca gave a nod as she pulled into a suburb. “That’s a sensible suggestion. If either of you end up having any concerns about her, it’s best to meet her in advance.” He supposed they both had a point, but still. Meeting new people isn’t really my thing, so I’m not exactly looking forward to it.

The house they finally stopped at was pretty ordinary looking, with a small garden in the front. It almost looked like a picturesque little model, like it wasn’t real, compared to what Joshua was used to seeing in New York City. Rebecca walked up ahead of everyone else and rang the doorbell. A distant, tiny voice called out, “One moment! Sorry, sorry!”

The door slowly swung open, and a young girl stood in front of them. She was tiny, far shorter than any of them, with golden blonde hair in a pixie cut and a black hairband. She had wide blue eyes and pale features, with a skinny, frail-looking build. She was wearing a pink blouse with a pastel blue skirt and long blue socks. She looked to be about 10 years old.

“Uhm…” the kid said. “Can I uh, can I help you?”

Rebecca smiled. “Alice, right? I’m Rebecca. We spoke yesterday evening.” Alice nodded, and as Rebecca held out a hand, after a couple of moments, she reached forward and put her hand in it, shaking it weakly. “These are my allies. Is it alright if we come in for a bit to speak with you about things in-depth?”

Alice nodded, before coughing into her elbow a couple of times. “That’s fine. Uh, I don’t really have any uh, tea or anything? I’m sorry.”

“No problem!” Maria said, moving up towards Rebecca. Alice visibly withdrew a little. “I’m Maria! You’re Alice, then? Nice to meet you!” Alice nodded meekly. Joshua raised an eyebrow. This girl seems a little on the timid side, to put it lightly. Is she really someone with a ‘strong fighting spirit’ that someone needs in order to have a Stand ?

The house was quaint and comfortable, and far larger than Joshua’s apartment. There was a nice, white couch and a big oak table and an overstuffed armchair. It was way too clean looking, but it still felt more comfortable than his aunt’s house. “I uh, live with my older cousin, he kind of adopted me when I was little. But he’s not home now. He knows I might leave, though, so he’s okay with that,”

Rebecca nodded. “I see. If you’re ready, let me begin by explaining the overall situation we’re dealing with here.”

Alice coughed a little, and then nodded.

---

They told her about Descartes, the Heaven Stones, Rebecca’s plan to retrieve all of them, and the enemies they’d faced. They explained the idea of Stands, and Rebecca told Alice that she possessed a Stand, and that they had hoped she would be willing to use it to help them. “Can you demonstrate your ability?” she finally asked.

Alice nodded. She’d been sniffling a lot and blowing her nose. It seemed as if she had a cold. “Uh, does anyone have any scratches, or cuts, maybe?” She glanced around. Nobody said anything. “I uh, guess…uhm…”

Joshua rolled his eyes and pulled out his pocket knife. He casually drew it along his forearm, leaving a thin red line of blood. Maria gasped. “Jojo, don’t just do that!” He looked at her and sighed.

“We need her to demonstrate, right? If she can heal this, it’s fine. And if not, well, it’s not a deep cut.” He leaned across the table and held out his arm in front of her. Alice recoiled a little, going a little paler. Is she really so sensitive that a tiny bit of blood makes her uncomfortable? There’s no way that she can have a Stand if she’s that fragile .

Finally, Alice reached out with her hand. Her fingers were gentle and cold as she touched his arm. “I call my power…” she said quietly. “It’s called…‘When Doves Cry’.”

The wound lit up a pale blue light, and Joshua felt the pain fade away. The light rose up from his arm, revealing that the flesh was unscathed, before finally coalescing into a form; a small, plump-looking bird seemingly made of that blue energy. The bird twittered and tilted its head.

“So you’ve ‘converted’ the energy of the wound into another form,” Rebecca said. Alice nodded.

“I can turn ‘damage’ into these ‘birds’,” she explained. “I can both heal injuries and uh, repair objects. The bird ‘stores’ the damage while it exists. However, uh…” Alice trailed off. Everyone looked at her, and she made a small, anxious noise. “Uh, don’t…don’t touch the bird.”

Joshua looked down at his arm. The bird was still just standing there on his wrist. Alice pulled out a tissue from the tissue box and held it up, unfolded, in the air. “The bird ‘contains’ the damage, so it can also ‘transfer’ it.”

The bird suddenly took flight, flapping swiftly directly towards the tissue. As it impacted, it ‘popped’ in a shower of blue sparks, and all of a sudden, there was a thin gash in the tissue, exactly the same size as the one that had been on Joshua’s arm.

“Ah, so you can ‘transfer’ the damage into another subject,” Rebecca said. “That is a very useful ability.” Alice nodded, looking pale and, as she had basically the whole time, anxious. She folded her hands nervously in her lap.

Rebecca glanced over at everyone else and nodded. “So, what do you all think? Her Stand does seem to be helpful, doesn’t it?”

“It does, but…” Maria frowned. “No offense Alice, but…how old are you?”

“Fifteen,” Alice replied. “Uh, if that’s okay?”

“Shouldn’t you be in school?” Joshua asked, raising an eyebrow. Alice shook her head.

“I’m uh, homeschooled. I’m uh, I’ve always been sickly, you see.” As if to demonstrate, she started coughing into the tissue again. “I get high fevers and coughs, and I get short of breath a lot.”

“Riiiiight,” Joshua said. “So you’re underage and constantly sick, and we’re supposed to bring you along on a cross-country mission that will probably involve battles, maybe to the death. You all realize that’s absurd, right?”

“Jojo!” Maria exclaimed. Joshua shook his head.

“You know I’m right, Maria. She’ll only hold us back. We can’t afford someone we need to coddle all along the way when we’re in danger like this.” I’m being harsh, but it’s for the best. She’s too young and vulnerable to bring along for this; she’ll only end up getting hurt. Better for her to stay home where it’s safe.

Maria seemed to consider this. Rebecca nodded. “I believe Joshua has a fair point. Alice’s constitution does seem rather poor. The journey could be taxing, and she’d likely be placed at high risk if anyone ever attacked her. Maybe it would be better to simply leave her be and-”

“No!’ Alice exclaimed, standing up suddenly. Joshua flinched a little at the unexpected loudness. “I get it, I do, but I swear I’m capable!” She clenched her fists. "I may be sickly, yes, but I can do this, I know that I can! Not only that, but I have to do this. Please, let me come with you!”

Joshua folded his arms. He wasn’t buying it. Despite her outburst, she was still pale and sniffling. She looked like a Victorian orphan, the type who would die of a cold before they were grown up. He doubted it was quite that bad, but she didn’t look strong at all, not enough to go on a cross-country trek. Plus, there was an innocence in her eyes, a frailty. She seemed the type to cry over stepping on a bug. No way could she fight someone or defend herself if she needed to.

“Listen, I get that you want to come, but that doesn’t mean that you should ,” Joshua explained. “You’re only going to hold us back, and probably get hurt in the process.”

Alice looked dejected, sitting back down and staring down at the floor. Maria was staring at Joshua, but he didn’t respond. She knew he was right, deep down. Blair was looking at Rebecca, and Rebecca was looking at Alice. It was Rebecca that spoke first. “Alice, why do you want to come along? We believe this to be a mission of great importance, but it seems rather personal.”

Joshua raised an eyebrow at Rebecca. He’d picked up on that as well, but it didn’t seem like it mattered considering all the reasons not to come. Alice sat back up and her gaze intensified. “It is personal. I know this is sudden, but having heard your story, I’m more sure of it. This Descartes…”

She took a breath. “He killed my mom and dad!”

Chapter Text

“What.”

That was all Joshua could muster even after a long silence from everyone. “Y-you can’t be serious,” he sputtered after a moment. What are the odds of that? There’s no way that can be for real.

“I know how it sounds, but it’s true,” Alice said. “My mom was a well-known software engineer fifteen years ago. She was a big name in the field, and she worked for a man named Woden Descartes.” She stared down at the floor. “But my parents died in an accident on a private jet when I was a baby. I know that they had been on a trip with Descartes, and he was on that plane. The plane crashed, but he was totally unscathed!” She clenched her fists. “I’ve always felt that there was more to it, and knowing that he’s the type of man you say, I’m sure of it!”

“That’s absurd,” Joshua said, incredulous. “That’s circumstantial at best. Do you really believe that just because he was on a plane with them that its proof he murdered them?” Alice looked a little more hesitant suddenly, but Rebecca spoke up.

“Actually, I think it’s entirely likely,” she said, looking at the floor. “I know Descartes has had many people killed in order to advance his goals. Plus, it’s not implausible that he as a Stand user would be connected to Alice’s family. She herself is a Stand user, so it’s possible her parents were as well.” She sighed. “Stand users are known to be drawn together. This is likely why both Blair and I, as well as Hestia, stumbled upon Joshua by chance.”

Joshua frowned. That still seemed like a stretch to be honest. Does she know something about this? It’s awfully coincidental even accounting for that. I’m not sure I believe that to be enough evidence, unless there’s more to this she’s not saying. “Anyway, that’s all well and good, but this kid,” he said, putting the emphasis on ‘kid’, “is still too young and too sickly to accompany us.”

“No I am not!” Alice stood up again, facing Joshua. There was a surprising defiance in her eyes. A fire he hadn’t seen before. “I know why you think that, but please don’t underestimate me!” Alice met his gaze, eyes focused. “If I end up struggling, you can leave me behind, but until then, please take me with you! Even if I’m wrong about Descartes, I want to at least find out the truth! He may still know something! And besides that, he needs to be stopped, no matter what! I’m willing to take that risk!”

Joshua sighed, mentally worn out by this argument. He could tell it was useless to try to convince her now that she was so worked up. He had to admit, she had a stronger will than he’d expected, but it still was clearly too risky to let her come along just for their benefit when she’d likely be hurt. Instead, he turned to the others. “What do you think?”

Maria pursed her lips. “I see your point, Jojo, and I get that you’re worried about her safety.” He sighed a little. “But at the same time, I don’t think it’s fair to assume what she’s capable of. Her power is useful, and maybe we can just keep her away from fights if it’s a concern? But if any of us get injured, we’ll regret leaving her behind, you know?”

“I’ll just do what Becca thinks,” was all Blair said. She’d been standing off in the corner this whole time, not speaking a word. Typical. Rebecca, for her part, considered her words carefully.

“I think Alice is a valuable addition to our team, personally. I agree with Maria that it may be best to keep her out of harms’ way, but besides that, I think she’ll be able to take care of herself.” She glanced over at Joshua. “Those with Stands possess innate ‘fighting spirits’ that will come out when they are in trouble. I believe she will be able to manage when push comes to shove.”

Joshua sighed. He was obviously outnumbered here. I don’t like this, but I guess I’ve been outvoted. Unfortunate. “Fine. But babysitting her isn’t my responsibility.” He leaned back in his seat, arms crossed. Blair scoffed, but Maria just laughed.

“Sure thing. You’re awful with kids anyway!” Joshua rolled his eyes. “My Stand is able to raise protective barriers, so if we get into trouble, I’ll be the one protecting her.”

Alice smiled, visibly relieved. “Thank you all so much. I promise not to be a burden.” She stood up and began picking her way around the seats. “Uh, I need to start packing, if that’s okay. I shouldn’t take too long! You can all help yourself to a snack if you want. The kitchen is through that door.” She pointed the way before heading up the stairs and out of sight.

Joshua just groaned. This was unfortunate. Now he had another person to worry about for the whole trip. What a pain.

---

It ended up taking about half an hour for Alice to prepare herself, so Joshua had made sandwiches for everyone, at Maria’s behest. The pantry wasn’t that well-stocked, but he did his best, and they turned out okay, so there was that. Joshua liked cooking; it made him feel accomplished when something was edible after he prepared it. Plus, it meant everything was to his taste; he didn’t have to worry about people putting in ingredients he disliked, like tomatoes.

After they finished eating, Alice came down the stairs from her room with a suitcase, all apologies for taking so long, having had difficulty with trimming down what she’d need. She’d never been on a trip before, but she was pretty sure she had everything. Pretty sure. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, to be honest.

Once they were all back in the car, Maria renewed her efforts to strike up conversation now that a new target was in place. For her part, Alice was more receptive, but she didn’t have very much to say. She was pretty ordinary; she’d been adopted by her cousin when she was a baby after the plane accident, and since he was a teacher and she was sickly, he homeschooled her. She didn’t have many friends, and she wasn’t really interested in books or movies or video games.

Things picked up a little more when, after about a half hour of small talk, Alice pulled out her sketchbook and started doodling. Apparently she was something of an artist, and offered to do a portrait of someone. Maria, naturally, accepted, and at that point Joshua spent the rest of the drive napping, so if anything else happened, it wasn’t important enough to wake him up. At least they hadn’t gotten attacked.

They finally reached their hotel, an ordinary chain hotel in the downtown of Cleveland, Ohio. It was extremely late in the night, almost 4 am, and Joshua had been asleep for several hours. Blair, having taken over for the evening so Rebecca could rest,w as the one who parked and escorted the group of them out of the car. Joshua noticed that Alice seemed to instinctively draw towards Maria, who put a comforting hand around the younger girl’s shoulder. She always was good with kids. Unlike him, apparently.

Rebecca had reserved three rooms; one for her and Blair, one for Joshua and Maria, and one for Alice. Apparently she’d been pretty confident in their ability to recruit the latter. Joshua was even more sure that she had known about Descartes’ relationship with Alice beforehand. Not only was that suspicious in itself, but it made him wonder; what else did she know that she wasn’t sharing? Had she researched him and his past, as well?

Joshua wasn’t having any of it. Rebecca hadn’t kept them completely in the dark, but he knew for a fact she wasn’t being totally open either. Being an ‘employee of Descartes’ didn’t feel like enough to him. There was something more to it that she wasn’t sharing. And he wouldn’t tolerate secrets being kept from him when his life was on the line. “Hey,” he said, grabbing her on the shoulder as they made their way up to the elevator. “We need to talk.”

Blair stepped over to intervene, but Rebecca raised her hand and stopped her. “It’s fine. I don’t mind discussing any matters with anyone here.” She adjusted her spectacles. Joshua frowned. Is that so? If that’s the case, why do I feel like she hasn’t been discussing things fully? Joshua and Rebecca stepped away while the others went to go check out the pool, since apparently Alice didn’t know how to swim but suddenly wanted to learn. More power to her, he supposed.

“So tell me,” Joshua began while they went to Rebecca’s shared room. Following her inside, he leaned his elbows against the wall. “How did you know that Alice’s parents were killed by Descartes?” He narrowed his eyes. “I was watching you when she said that, and you didn’t even blink. It came as no surprise, and you were quick to offer some kind of justification to prove it to us. You knew.”

Rebecca nodded. She stood facing away from him, arms folded. “I did. I read about it in Descartes’ files. The information about the cover-up he performed.”

Joshua frowned. “He just had that on record? He’s powerful and wealthy, surely he could cover that up without a paper trail.”

She thought about this for a moment. “Do you have a particular concern about this matter?” she asked. “Do you disbelieve what me or Alice say about it?”

“No,” Joshua replied in a low voice. “But you’re lying to me. I’m very good at telling when people are lying. You’re keeping things from us still. You may have been honest about Descartes’ goals and yours, but there’s details you’re not admitting to. Details I want to know.”

He tilted his head back. “Well? Are you going to spill it?”

Rebecca turned to face him. Her eyes were cast downward. “That information is personal, and I can’t disclose it at this time,” she said. Joshua growled. I’m not going to let her make excuses for this. It’s too important that, if she wants us to risk our lives, she puts everything on the table.

“What about me, huh?” Joshua demanded. “You know about Alice’s past, how much do you know about mine? My family, my upbringing, was that all ‘in Descartes’ files’ too?” His voice raised in volume as he spoke, his tone more and more intense.

“I’m not sure now is really the time to be discussing that matter,” Rebecca said, adjusting her spectacles yet again. “If you’re concerned about your privacy, nothing I am aware of is not available to at least one public organization, so--”

“What is wrong with you?!” Joshua exclaimed. Feed the Wolf appeared, reflexively, arms crossed and scowling. “How is that meant to be reassuring? You admit you know but you won’t tell me? For what? Why would you keep that secret if you were at all trustworthy?”

“I-” Rebecca tried to speak, but Joshua interrupted her.

“No, I don’t want any excuses. I’m done here,” Joshua turned his back on Rebecca and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. As she stood and watched, Feed the Wolf approached her.

“You don’t look good at all right now, and he’s afraid you’re going to betray us,” the Stand explained tersely. “You’re going to have to make it up to him and come clean, or he’ll remain convinced that you’re lying to us. Do you understand?”

Rebecca nodded blankly. Feed the Wolf stepped through the wall and phased out of the room, leaving her alone.

---

Joshua left the hotel after that.

He walked out the front door without saying a word to anyone. He was pissed, and at this point, he didn’t want anyone to know where he was. He was exhausted and sore from hours in the car, and Rebecca couldn’t even be bothered to give him an explanation? Openly admitted to hiding information from him?

Joshua was furious. Hestia was my enemy right away because he refused to tell me the truth, and that meant he was covering something up. If Rebecca refuses to tell me the truth, could she also be my enemy? How can I be sure she won’t turn against us, or that she isn’t using us for her own nefarious ends? Why else would she be keeping secrets?

When Joshua was in a bad mood, he often took walks around New York City, so he set off and started in a random direction down the block. In his area, that could be dangerous, but he was never afraid because he had Feed the Wolf to protect him. That was the case for him now. He didn’t know what kind of city Cleveland was, but he was confident that if someone threatened him, he could take them out.

“What if they are a Stand user?” Feed the Wolf asked him. Joshua glanced over his shoulder at the Stand, eyebrow raised. Feed the Wolf looked pensive. “I’ve always been able to defeat enemies because they don’t have the power to fight back against me, but if we encounter one of Descartes’ allies, they may possess a Stand. Do you think we should be more careful of that?”

Joshua sighed. He knew Feed the Wolf was right, but it was a pain to think about. He had to be more careful than he used to be while he was on the mission, for however long that was. “Fine. Feed the Wolf, tail me at a range of 20 meters, staying out of sight when you can.” He would know if his Stand spotted anything suspicious, so that should be a sensible safety precaution. If anyone came at him from the back or sides, he’d know.

It was incredibly late, but Joshua was a bit of a night owl anyway. Cleveland was…smaller than New York. It was a little greener, though that wasn’t saying much. There were still skyscrapers, but they were further apart, so he could see more of the open sky above him. There seemed to be fewer sidewalks, as well. It was kind of nice, he had to admit. Joshua meandered down the block the hotel was on and onto some side streets where some small local shops were.

He was probably several miles away from the hotel after about an hour, and he was starting to feel a little better. At least, he was calmer and more in control. When he got back to the hotel, he would wake Rebecca up and demand she spill everything. If she refused, or dodged the question, he’d take Maria and Alice back home and abandon this stupid mission.

But first…

“I see you,” Joshua said, stopping as he passed an alleyway between a card game store and a Chinese restaurant. A few alleys back, Feed the Wolf had sensed someone lurking in the darkness, and stopped out of sight. Now, that figure stepped forward, caught between Joshua and his Stand, the latter of which was concealed inside the garbage can that was on the sidewalk. “What are you up to, over there?”

“Ah, you’re perceptive,” the figure said in a soft, breathy, almost meek voice. They stepped into the light of the streetlamp above them. The guy had discolored ruddy skin and a bald head, with protruding teeth and hollow black eyes. He wore ragged red clothing, something like a toga made of ripped fabric, and no shoes. His arms and legs were scrawny and the bones were visible. He reeked of decay. He was probably homeless. Joshua felt a bit bad for the man. If all he did was ask him for some change, he wouldn’t mind giving it. But he had a feeling they were after more than that.

“You…I know your smell…” the man said, taking a step forward. Joshua tensed up. That’s a creepy thing to say, even coming from some homeless person. “You smell like him…how I miss him…”

“I think you’re mistaken,” Joshua replied warily. “I don’t know you, and honestly, you’re better off going somewhere else.” It was clear that this guy was more than a little unhinged, just from the look in his eyes. And yet, I can’t help but feel like there’s more to this than just crazy babble. Joshua wasn’t interested in getting into a fight with an unstable homeless man on principle, but there was something off about this.

“No…” the man began to walk forward. Joshua narrowed his eyes. “You are him…his flesh and blood…I know you…” As the man moved closer, Joshua readied himself. This guy wasn’t going to stop, and if he tried to attack Joshua, he’d have no choice. Feed the Wolf cracked its knuckles behind the man as Joshua turned one shoulder towards the homeless man, hands behind his head.

“Keep your distance, or I’ll be forced to defend myself,” Joshua said. The man stopped and tilted his head. His face looked…sad. Confused? What is this guy’s deal?

“Defend…yourself?” the man asked softly. “Why? I don’t…mean you harm. I offer…strength. Power. Immortality. Life after…death,” Joshua’s eyes widened as Feed the Wolf stepped closer. Finally, the man came within about fifteen feet of Joshua. Now he could see what was wrong. And it was very wrong.

From the man’s lipless mouth protruded a set of dripping, razor-sharp fangs.

“I am…Hades. You are…of his blood. And this…is…Hollywood…” Hades lunged forward, baring his long, talon-like claws, looking sharp enough to tear Joshua to shreds.

“UNDEAD!”

“MUDA!!!” Feed the Wolf emerged from the ground between Joshua and Hades, having hidden itself earlier. It drove its fist straight into Hades’ face, which crumpled into itself.

“What are you?” Joshua muttered. Something was wrong. The man(?)’s flesh was cold and clammy, and soft. Too soft. It felt like punching a red velvet cake with cream cheese icing; Hades’ head exploded, splattering bloodlessly across the pavement behind him as his body fell to the ground. Feed the Wolf withdrew its fist, staring in disgust. What is that thing?

This was wrong. Unnatural. Hades’ head was smeared on the pavement like a water balloon full of paint, and yet, the flesh was beginning to crawl back together. The body was shuddering, crawling itself towards the gooey blobs of meat. Joshua covered his mouth, sickened. But what was worse was when he realized that there was something wrong with him.

“What the hell is that?” Joshua said, staring down at his hand where he’d noticed a tingling sensation. A blob of reddish flesh was clinging to the back of his hand, and it was slowly expanding. Joshua could feel his blood seeping into it, as though it were some kind of malformed tick. “Shit! Get off of me!”

Feed the Wolf reached out towards the blob to pull it off, but as soon as it dug its fingers into the flesh, Joshua winced in pain. It wasn’t just attached to his skin; it had melded, seamlessly, into the meat on his hand. It was held fast, and there was no easy way to remove it. The blob was the size of a quarter, and getting larger by the moment. Meanwhile, Hades’ body was fusing itself back together.

“What the fuck is going on?!” Joshua exclaimed, stepping away from Hades as the rotting creature stood up. Hades turned to face him, empty eyes bright with a smile.

“Yes…you do have his blood…and soon…you will have mine.”

Joshua had no choice. He was already under attack somehow, and whatever this thing was, it was unlike anything he’d seen before. Hades wasn’t just a Stand user, but some kind of creature. A monster. Joshua was in no position to fight under these circumstances. He had learned from his fight with Hestia that challenging enemies like this head on was too risky. He needed to buy some time.

“Feed the Wolf!” At his command, Joshua’s Stand dove into a nearby dumpster. Straining at the weight, the lumbering metal box tumbled end-over-end across the sidewalk. Just as Hades began moving towards Joshua, the dumpster tipped over, its open mouth falling on top of the creature and trapping him underneath with a tremendous metal clang.

Joshua ran.

Chapter Text

Joshua knew he’d only bought a little time.

Feed the Wolf immediately left the dumpster. Hades, his body liquified like soup, was already seeping out from under the edge of the metal box. Feed the Wolf knew better than to try to touch the creature directly. Instead, it shoved its fist into the slab of sidewalk and heated it up as much as it could, causing the flesh of Hades to sizzle and burn. It smelled rancid, but while it seemed to slow the spread, it wasn’t enough to destroy the thing. With that done, Joshua’s Stand followed him in his flight.

What was Hades? Joshua didn’t know. Hestia possessed a Stand that made his body like rubber, but this seemed different. There was something about this thing that wasn’t just a Stand ability. Is he something other than human? What in the world is he, really? He almost seems like a walking corpse from looking at him. Could he actually be an ‘undead’ ?

Joshua had other things to worry about as well. The blob latched onto his hand was getting bigger, almost the size of a golf ball now, and it was still sucking out his blood. If he couldn’t get rid of it soon, it would probably consume his arm, or force him to cut off his hand. Neither of those were good options, so he had to figure out how to get it off.

He had an idea, at the very least, but he had to be quick about it. A couple of blocks down the side street he’d found himself on, there was a series of parked cars. Joshua ran up to one of the sedans and stopped, opening the valve and sending Feed the Wolf into the gas tank. ‘Possessing’ the gasoline, the Stand trickled up and out of the tank onto his hand before rapidly heating to ignition. Joshua grimaced as his hand caught fire, but it was a necessity. Hopefully, Alice could heal him after all this.

The good news was that it worked. Joshua couldn’t heat up living matter, but he could manipulate the ‘properties’ of the gasoline. The glob of putrid flesh shrieked and trembled before melting away, splattering onto the ground and dissolving into nothingness. Joshua immediately put out the fire; his hand was still pretty burned, but it would be fine with some treatment. That’s one problem solved, but unfortunately, I still need to deal with Hades .

“You…!” Right on cue, the strange man had caught up to him. His flesh was looking singed by the heated pavement, but it didn’t seem to slow him down. He only looked…disfigured. Melted. Like a wax candle. “You deny my gift…?”

“Sure do,” Joshua said, assuming a fighting position. “If your ‘gift’ is you sucking the life out of me, then I have to pass. Not sorry.” Feed the Wolf was still in the gas tank. If Hades got any closer, Joshua could send gasoline all over him and set him on fire. That had worked pretty well against Hestia, so hopefully he could repeat it here.

“Yes…I will ‘suck it out’...your weakness…” Hades said, still approaching. Joshua narrowed his eyes. Feed the Wolf’s range was limited when possessing an object, so he needed to wait for Hades to get close. “Your life blood…is your weakness. In death…undeath…you find strength. Immortality. The gift my master gave me…your blood…”

This is starting to make a sick kind of sense, and I don’t like any of it . “So you want to turn me into…whatever you are? Because someone with my blood turned you into that?” Was Hades talking about a relative of his? That made no sense. Joshua didn’t have any relatives besides his aunt and his dead parents. Besides, even if there was a cousin or something, how could Hades even know about him from them?

“You understand…” Hades rasped, almost sounding happy. He was almost in range, but he stopped. “The gift my master shared…I will give it to you…”

“Sure thing,” Joshua replied calmly. “Come over here and share it with me. I’m ready.” He just needed Hades another few inches closer in order to cover him in gasoline, and then he could destroy this abomination.

But Hades didn’t come over. He instead raised his arm and pointed at Joshua. “Partake…of my Hollywood Undead…” Flesh was dripping off of the tip of Hades’ finger, and Joshua’s eyes widened. Wait, there’s no way he’s going to do what I think he’s doing, is he ?

With a horrible, sloppy noise, Hades fired off a series of flesh bullets from the tip of his pointer, aimed dead on at Joshua’s exposed face.

---

“Feed the Wolf!” Joshua called as the blobs flew at him at high speed. The spread was so wide, the bolts so numerous, he didn’t think he’d be able to dodge out of the way, and he didn’t want to risk letting his Feed the Wolf come into contact with them. But his Stand was inside of the car, and it was trivial to switch what part of the car it was controlling.

Phasing from the gasoline into the pneumatics, the door of the sedan flipped open, and Feed the Wolf’s arm emerged from the interior dashboard, grabbing Joshua by the collar and pulling him inside. The door then slammed shut, causing the flesh bolts to splatter harmlessly on the window. Joshua breathed a brief sigh of relief.

“Ahh!” Joshua exclaimed in shock as suddenly, while he was catching his breath, Hades pressed his face flat against the window, gnashing his teeth. “Get the fuck away from me,” he snarled, crawling backwards over the seats and dashboard to get to the far side of the car’s front. “What the hell are you?!”

“I was granted…new existence…centuries ago, on the high seas…” Hades’ body was beginning to seep into the gap between the car frame and the door. “I granted this gift to many others, but only I survived…to reach this land.”

That’s what was going on. This creature was trying to ‘infect’ him with whatever unnatural power it had, that made his body both impervious and rotted. Those wicked fangs and claws and that pallid flesh weren’t part of his Stand after all, but something darker and more sinister. “I have wandered…sating my hunger in the darkness…waiting for my master to return. I sensed him for a time, decades ago…but before I could reach his side…he vanished…”

A slime mold. That’s what it reminded Joshua of. Hades was moving like some kind of slime mold. He wasn’t just a singular body, but a collection of cells that moved in tandem. It was as if his body was made of amoebas, linked together in the vague shape of a human. They even fed and spread independently if he willed it. That was his Stand, the power to become like a slime mold. But he’s also an undead of some kind. An undead creature with a Stand that augments its natural abilities .

Feed the Wolf opened the door on the far side of the sedan and pulled Joshua out just as Hades reached out with a severed arm, composed of the sludge that had entered the car. Slamming the door behind him, Joshua stepped back. “I don’t know what the hell you are, but I don’t want anything to do with you!” he said. “You keep the hell away from me!”

“I cannot…” Hades said, muffled by the car as he fumbled to open the door. “Your blood…I crave it…you will become like me…like my master…”

“Like hell I will. Feed the Wolf!”Joshua’s Stand re-entered into the car, and after a moment, the engine started. The doors locked, and the accelerator pressed down. The car took off at high speed down the street, hopefully bringing his enemy far away from him. Joshua leaned against a telephone pole, breathing hard, as the sound faded into the darkness and left him in calm silence, all alone.

Yet, I still feel my heart racing. My hands are trembling, and I feel clammy and cold. As if I’ve got a fever. Did he infect me with something somehow? No, that doesn’t feel right. Joshua sighed and wiped his brow. I’m not sick. I’m just shaken. Like I’ve seen something horrifying, something monstrous. It’s a visceral, instinctive response, being repulsed by that thing .

Joshua continued trying to steady his breathing, standing upright. Could Hades really have a connection to my relatives? Is what he’s saying true, that I’m a descendent of the one who created him? How is that even possible? Who am I really, if that’s the case ?

Joshua’s eyes suddenly widened as he heard nearby movement. He flinched and turned to face the street, arms raised in a slight defensive posture. There was a blob of flesh on the ground, writhing and wriggling. And growing. It was the size of a squirrel; actually, it was a squirrel, in the past tense. Ruddy, slimy flesh was emerging from the twitching corpse of a rodent, expanding rapidly.

“What the fuck?” he muttered. “Feed the Wolf, is Hades still in that car?”

No, he sensed from his Stand. He melted away and dissolved into nothing just now . Joshua breathed in. “Get back here, now,” he said, carefully making his way around the slime. The squirrel’s lifeless head turned and looked at him, and it spoke.

“ Hollywood…Undead… ” Hades gurgled as the squirrel’s head began to contort and its body began to swell. “ I left behind…bits of myself…and this squirrel..consumed me. And now…I consume it. I become part of it…It is me! ”

Joshua was defenseless without his Stand. That was the fatal weakness of having used Feed the Wolf at long range. Until Feed the Wolf reached him, he had to fend for himself. Joshua had to once again resort to the age-old tactic of anyone in a fight they couldn’t win. He took off and ran in the opposite direction.

---

“Hold it!”

Joshua didn’t know how long he’d been running. His Stand was still trying to catch up to him, but Joshua had ducked into a side street to try to lose Hades’ trail, so Feed the Wolf was having trouble reaching him. It hadn’t worked, though; he’d even climbed a fence and a fire escape before going down the other side of the building. No matter what he did, Hades caught up. Joshua was in excellent shape and could run for a long time, but a zombie didn’t need to breathe. It didn’t get tired, and it didn’t stop.

So while he never lost his lead, he couldn’t find a way to escape. It seemed like Hades really was following the smell of his blood. Every time Joshua slowed to catch his breath, it was only a couple of moments before Hades rounded the corner and he had to keep running. And now, he’d run straight into a cop in the middle of a side street. Joshua didn’t like cops at the best of times, and having one blocking his way now of all situations was even worse than that.

Joshua held up his hands, gritting his teeth. This is the last thing I need right now. I really hope I can talk my way out of this . “What the hell do you think you’re doing out here?” The tall, bony older man sneered at Joshua. “Why are you so out of breath? You look like a punk to me. Are you up to something?”

“I’m being chased,” Joshua said. Explaining Stands to a random civilian was pointless, he knew, but if the cop fired the gun he was already pointing at Joshua, it would still do severe damage without Feed the Wolf’s protection. He couldn’t brush this off. “They’re dangerous and deranged and trying to kill me. I dunno, I think they’re on drugs or something?” he lied.

“Hmph.” The cop didn’t lower his gun, but he did glance over Joshua’s shoulder. It was unfortunate, ironically, that Hades hadn’t caught up to him yet. “Is that so? I don’t like your tone. Let me guess, you just robbed one of those stores in the mall a ways away, didn’t you?” He jabbed the gun into Joshua’s shoulder.

“What? No,” Joshua replied, exasperated. Hades was going to catch up to him soon, and Feed the Wolf still hadn't arrived. He doubted the cop’s gun would do anything to the zombie’s liquid flesh, so he was still totally defenseless. “Listen, the guy chasing me is going to catch up soon, and you’re not going to want to be here when he does. Just let me go, okay?”

Joshua knew it wouldn’t work. The cop was just here to pick a fight and was probably planning to arrest him no matter what he did. He needed to figure out a way to get out of here. He could hear footsteps approaching. “I don’t think so,” the older man sneered. “It sounds a lot like you’re lying to an officer of the law. Keep those hands up; you’re under--”

“You cannot…flee…your fate…” Hades’ soft, raspy voice echoed around the corner as the zombie stepped into the street behind Joshua. He didn’t dare turn away from the guy with the gun trained on him, but he was definitely sweating now. This was very bad.

The cop blanched. “What the hell is that thing?” he asked. Joshua swallowed. At least the gun isn’t pointing at my face for the moment .

“I don’t know,” Joshua admitted. “That’s the thing that’s been chasing me. It’s only after me, so just let me go. I just want to get away from it, that’s all. Let me leave!”

“Oh no, you’re not going anywhere.” The cop shoved his way past Joshua, almost knocking him off balance. “You stay right there. And you, too!” he shouted at Hades, who continued to approach. “Stop right there and put your hands up or I’ll shoot!” The gun was now trained on Hades.

“I will not be stopped…by a cretin like yourself…” Hades retorted, continuing forward. The cop raised his gun and fired off a few rounds into Hades with a loud series of BANGs. The bullets splatted into Hades’ flesh, sending tiny spouts of sludge out from him as he continued forward unimpeded. The cop gasped.

“Your gun won’t do anything. You should just run away and leave this to me,” Joshua said, bracing himself to take off as soon as he saw an opening. As much of a pain as the cop was, Joshua didn’t want him to get attacked by a damn zombie right in front of him. If the guy is smart, he’ll let me run away and Hades will chase me instead.

The guy was not smart.

“What the fuck?!” he yelled, continuing to fire bullets as Hades drew closer. His attention was on Hades now. Joshua began edging slowly backwards. He didn’t want to get any closer, and he probably couldn’t run or pull the cop away without putting himself in danger. He had no choice but to stand by.

“I said get away from--”

SPLAT

---

Gunk from Hades’ outstretched hand splattered all over the cop’s face. The man froze up, motionless, as the flesh began to consume his head, rapidly melting away his features and causing his body to go slack, the gun falling to the ground as his arm went limp.

“Holy shit,” Joshua muttered. He’d never seen someone die in front of him before, and this was a pretty gruesome way to introduce himself to it. By the time the entire head of the man was an unrecognizable blob, Hades stepped forward.

“ Hollywood Undead… ” Hades said as he pulled the cop’s still-standing corpse into him in a sick embrace. Slowly, the man was engulfed by Hades’ molten flesh, clothes and all. Joshua could only watch wide-eyed, gritting his teeth, as Hades devoured the cop like an amoeba consuming a paramecium. As if it were performing phagocytosis, Hades’ body extended pseudopod-like tendrils around the cop and pulled him in. Soon, his cells had consumed and digested the cop’s. 

There was nothing Joshua could do. He just had to stand there and watch. He felt sick to his stomach just from the visceral horror of what he was seeing, a man being eaten alive. Only his shoes were discarded by the end of it all. Hades had somehow not changed size despite eating a whole human being. Could he really digest his prey that fast?

“You’re a monster,” Joshua said, keeping his voice even, hand on one hip. There was no use running at this point. “A literal thing that goes bump in the night. And you’re hoping to turn me into one of those, too, aren’t you?”

“I am a higher being…” Hades said, pulling the cop’s hat out of his chest and tossing it aside. “Immortal, undying, superior to humanity…I wish to grant this to you…in gratitude for your ancestor, your blood…”

“I refuse your ‘gift’,” Joshua replied. Hades tilted his head.

“You do not know your place…I will show you…” He reached out his hand towards Joshua, preparing to fire off more of his flesh at him. Joshua scoffed.

“I know my place. It’s not with you. Here, take this as a symbol of my rejection.”

He held up his hand, and Hades turned to look. There was nothing in it. “What--”

With the shriek of squealing tires, a flaming sedan skidded around the corner, and before Hades could react, it plowed into the zombie, smearing him on the pavement before parking over the corpse.

“There we go. Thank you, Feed the Wolf,” Joshua said, crossing his arms. There was a horrible smell in the air as the flesh burned away in the flames, but Joshua couldn’t be that upset. He’d realized that fire was effective against the zombie, so a big enough fire was sure to work out. Luckily, Hades had spent so long eating the cop that the sedan had been given the time to catch up to them and finish it off.

Feed the Wolf emerged from the sedan, unharmed by the fire, and nodded. “ That sucked ,” it said. Joshua smiled. That’s a good way of putting it. Ugh, if I’d known this was going to happen, I’d have just sulked in the lobby all night instead .

Joshua dismissed his Stand and turned to walk away. He didn’t see any of Hades’ flesh remaining on the asphalt or anything, so as far as he could tell, the zombie was dead for real this time. Thank God. Whatever that thing really was or whatever really spawned it, Joshua was confident that it shouldn’t exist in this world. Both he and this city were better off with Hades destroyed. Joshua put his hands in his pockets and started walking away, leaving the zombie to the flies.

Wait.

Flies?

As one of the flies buzzed past his ear, Joshua turned around and looked behind himself. The fire was out, and a swarm of flies had collected under the carriage of the sedan. At first, he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary for them. However, as he turned around and summoned his Stand, Joshua realized that the flies were converging. One particularly bloated black fly had landed and was now twitching on the ground, and the other flies settled into it. Soon, Joshua couldn’t distinguish between their forms, and after a couple of moments, the blob began to grow.

“Shit,” Joshua muttered. Somehow, a fleck of Hades must have survived, and now the zombie was reforming. The car is already burned to pieces ,and I don’t have a lot of resources, standing in the middle of the street like this. I can run, but he’ll just chase me forever. I can ‘enter’ the ground, maybe, to heat it up, but that puts me in danger, too, since I’m not immune to the effects of my own Stand if I do that. And it may not even work. Do I have any choice but to stand and fight?

As Hades rose up to his feet, eyes empty and gazing blankly at Joshua, Joshua braced himself. “You deny my immortality…You deny yourself your bloodline…Why…?”

Joshua glowered, intensely focused. “I don’t give a shit about you or my bloodline. You don’t get to decide who or what I am. Isn’t that right?” He glanced over at his Stand.

“ An abomination like you shouldn’t exist, ” the Stand growled. “ You’re not a ‘higher being’, you’re a parasite that feeds on the innocent to survive. Who knows what kind of atrocities you’ve committed in the centuries you’ve existed. I’d sooner die than become a monster like you. ”

Joshua scoffed. “Better yet, I think you’re the one that’s about to die because of this. Unfortunate for you. Go, Feed the Wolf!”

His Stand pounced.

Chapter Text

“Muda Muda Muda Muda!”

Feed the Wolf rushed forward, raining blows down on Hades. Immediately, the zombie splattered, chunks of its liquified body spraying in all directions as it was pummeled into a puddle of melted flesh. Ugh. Just as I thought, brute force is useless. Unfortunate . By the end of the assault, Hades was nothing more than a head on top of a growing pool of fluid meat. It was revolting.

“Why resist…” Hades said as his body slowly began to rise back up again. “You deny your destiny…your power…” Joshua scowled, and Feed the Wolf leaned forward. Pressing one hand down on top of the zombie’s head, it slowly crushed it back to the ground.

“You are not my destiny. And even if you were, I’d still fight you.” There was fire in Joshua’s eyes. “Whatever else I may be, I refuse to ever become a monster like you.”

“It is useless to resist…” The half-flattened head of Hades said. Suddenly, Joshua felt a strange numbness in his ankle. He winced and looked down, eyes going wide. Hades’ hand had severed itself without him noticing, and was now digging into Joshua’s foot, draining the blood from his body. His leg suddenly went weak, and Joshua fell to one knee.

“Dammit!” he swore. “Feed the Wolf!” His Stand turned around to rush to his aid, but in that brief moment, Hades struck.

“Hollywood Undead.” Its other hand reached out and splattered against Feed the Wolf’s armored back, causing the Stand to stagger. Feed the Wolf had no blood, but the claws digging into its body caused a wound to open on Joshua’s back under his vest. He winced, and though Feed the Wolf rushed forward to free him anyway, it was slowed by the attack. Hades reached Joshua first.

“The time is come…” Hades whispered as it lunged, a new hand growing on the stump as its body reformed. It knocked Joshua off of his knees and pinned him down, laying on top of him. Now with three hands, one around Joshua’s ankle, it took its new fingers and dug it into Joshua’s aorta, where it began draining the blood from his body.

“Fuck…”  Joshua groaned, already beginning to feel faint. Feed the Wolf lunged at Hades, but with a powerful back kick, the prone undead sent Joshua’s Stand flying, briefly knocking the wind out of him in the process and making him cough blood. “Get…off of me…”

“Accept your fate…” Hades said, voice growing more exalted with every word. “Bask in power. The vitality of your bloodline. The immortality. Embrace the vampire’s essence within your flesh!”

“Vampire…?” Joshua said, grimacing. “I figured it was something like that. So you were created by a vampire. Is that it?”

“Yes. Your ancestor feasted upon my blood and gave me eternal life, and now I awaken that in you!” Hades said, eyes wide and more frenzied than before, invigorated by Joshua’s blood. “I can normally only create zombies, but as a descendant of a vampire, you will become one as well. Eternally young, beautiful, powerful! Together, we shall conquer the living!”

“That’s nice,” Joshua said absently, eyes glazed over. “Sure thing…we can do that…if you want…”

“Yes, yes!” Hades cheered. Joshua’s skin had lost its color and warmth, and his face had become gaunt from the blood being drained, his limbs limp. “Embrace your fate! Embrace my power! Our power!”

“...In the morning.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Hades asked. Joshua turned his head and glanced up at Hades. A coy smile crossed his pale lips.

“I said we can do all that in the morning. Don’t worry. You won’t have to wait long.” He weakly lifted one arm and pointed behind Hades.

“See? The sun is coming up.”

“What?!” Hades exclaimed, turning his head and pulling his hand out of Joshua’s flesh. Indeed, in the distance, above the city skyline, was the dawning light of the rising sun, casting its golden rays down the street. “No! Not now!”

“You were right all along. It was in my blood.” Joshua said, lifting his head. Feed the Wolf’s arm phased through his chest and grabbed Hades by the throat with all its remaining might, preventing the zombie from moving. “I had a feeling that the sun would be your weakness, a feeling I think came from this ancestor you’re so obsessed with. So I guess I have to thank them for giving me the answer.”

“You…!” Hades turned and reached forward for Joshua’s face, but it was too late. The warm sunlight had glided along the ground in a graceful strip between the buildings. I’m so glad I found a street that ran east to west like this. I figured if nothing else worked, buying enough time until the sun rose would do it.

Hades screamed as sunlight washed across his back, and his flesh immediately began to disintegrate. Black cracks ran across his body as his skin turned red, burning like a boiled lobster. Feed the Wolf emerged from the ground, lifting Hades into the air. The zombie thrashed and struggled, but there was no way to break free as it was roasted alive.

“No, please!” Hades begged, desperately reaching for Joshua as he stood up off the ground and tilted his head back. Eyes closed, Joshua basked in the warm sunlight as Hades burned. “This is…not right…! You must…your destiny…!”

“I don’t know what my destiny holds,” Joshua admitted. He opened his eyes, staring upwards at Hades defiantly, hand on his hip, legs crossed. “But I know it won’t involve you. Go to hell!”

The last thing the zombie thought before his destruction was simple; 'This man doesn’t have the blood of my master, after all. His blood is that of our enemy. I was wrong to think this of him as the heir to Lord Dio. He is an heir to that bastard, Jonathan Joestar!'

“Noooooo-!”

“MUDA!!!”

Feed the Wolf threw Hades up into the air, slamming its fist as hard as it could into Hades’ head. The zombie shrieked in agony and fear as it flew into the air, heat and light building up within its rotting body. As it reached the apex of its arc, the light burst out, and Hades exploded, disintegrating into fine dust, with even that fading away into nothingness, leaving only his empty clothes falling gently to the ground.

Joshua sighed, dropping to one knee and breathing heavily. As much as he was glad to have won, that fight had taken a lot out of him. Unfortunately, he didn’t bring his phone or wallet, so he’d need to find someone willing to help him call Maria to come pick him up or something. Ugh, how unfortunate.

After that, he had some questions for Rebecca.

---

“...And I mean, what the hell were you even thinking, going off on your own without your phone! You should have expected you could get attacked!” Maria continued to berate Joshua from the driver’s seat as he slumped against the window, still exhausted. “Are you insane? You could have been killed! Just look at you! Alice, you said you can’t restore all the lost blood?”

Alice nodded meekly from the back seat, coughing. “I put a little back, but…lost blood isn’t really ‘damage’ so its more that the flesh that was injured was restored with blood in it, which helped. You’ll need to uh, I guess eat and drink a lot to fully recover.”

“Good, so there’s at least some consequences for your actions that we can’t just magic away. Isn’t that right?”

“Ugh…” Joshua groaned. He had expected her to be mad, but they were almost back at the hotel, and he had barely gotten a word in edgewise. He supposed he’d also be pretty mad if he found out she had almost been murdered in the middle of the night, but still. He hadn’t even told her what Hades really was, or how it was connected to him. God only knew how she’d feel about him fighting a zombie. Not to mention seeing someone die. Not that I have much sympathy for a bastard like that cop, but it’s definitely a pretty unsettling image to have lodged in my brain. I hope it doesn’t give me nightmares or something . “I said I’m sorry, didn’t I?”

Maria sighed. “I just don’t get what possessed you to run off on your own like that. What did you think was going to happen?” Joshua sighed.

“I had an argument with Rebecca and needed to blow off some steam, that’s all,” he explained. Maria shook her head, still exasperated.

“You still don’t trust her, I take it?”

Joshua shrugged. “She was being cagey about some stuff. I think she knows more than she’s let on, and she wouldn’t give me a straight answer. I won’t go off on my own like that again, okay? At least, not without my phone, in case I need help,” he elaborated, cutting her off.

Maria sighed. “Fine.”

Once they reached the hotel and Maria had basically forced two bagels, a banana, some cereal, milk, and some juice into Joshua’s hands, he made a beeline up to Rebecca’s room. Having Feed the Wolf knock since his hands were full of breakfast-- well, it’s more like two breakfasts --Joshua took a breath. It felt like their little quarrel had been days ago with how much he’d been through since then, but the situation wasn’t actually resolved. I need answers, now more than ever .

“Oh, Joshua, good morning. I’m glad to see you back safe and sound,” Rebecca said softly as she opened the door. Joshua nodded, mouth holding a bagel. Taking a bite out of it, he walked into the room and sat himself down at the desk, setting all the food down on the counter. He turned in the chair and faced Rebecca expectantly.

“I was attacked by some kind of undead last night, Rebecca. A zombie, a walking corpse. It claimed my ancestor was a vampire, and that they created it. I know you know something about this, don’t you?” Joshua explained. “I want to know. Tell me everything. And tell me about yourself, too, for good measure.”

He would not tolerate this a second longer. Rebecca had not told him things that she knew, and now that information was directly threatening him. She knew about his past, for sure, not to mention having a past of her own she wasn’t admitting to. He could have died last night, and he wasn’t going to let her walk away without giving him answers.

Joshua half-expected her to deflect again, though. He was fully prepared to go for the throat and lay out his ultimatum. If he had to walk away from this because she proved herself too unreliable to risk his life for, he would. But Rebecca just sighed. “An undead, you say? Yes, I believe I may have some answers for you about that.” Joshua narrowed his eyes

“As for our previous dispute…I understand. For what it may be worth, I do apologize for not being forthright with you. The truth is…” she sat down on the bed and folded her hands. “I was afraid. To be honest, I thought sharing information about my past would make me vulnerable, I think. I was worried how you’d react.”

Joshua took a moment to consider this. That was a start, actually. More of one than he had expected. Now to see if she carried through with all of this. He sighed in resignation. “Fine. I promise not to jump to any conclusions, and I’ll wait until you’ve said your piece to make any judgments. Okay?” Rebecca nodded.

“Perhaps it may be best that I introduce you to my source first and foremost?” That seemed reasonable. Joshua nodded. “Are you familiar with the Speedwagon Foundation? I’ve been in frequent contact with them as a result of my efforts to oppose Descartes.”

The Speedwagon Foundation? I know them. They’re a conservation and medical research organization. I’ve read many books by their scientists. But what do they have to do with all of this ? “I am, yes. Are they also secret vampire hunters?”

“Not necessarily,” Rebecca replied, opening her laptop. Joshua continued working through the bagel. “While they are involved in environmental protection and advancing medical science, the Speedwagon Foundation is also an agent in paranormal investigation and research. They have dealt in things such as Stands before, and so I have discussed matters with them regarding the stones.”

Rebecca began typing in a series of passwords. “They cannot offer direct action, but they provide useful resources and support, and have helped me locate the remainder of the stones.”

She continued typing as Joshua ate, though his appetite wasn’t really there. “One of their scientists whom I have been in contact with also has a Stand, but he is long-retired and now lives with his family. I didn’t want to directly involve him, but he may be able to explain the situation better than I could.”

Finally, Rebecca turned the screen towards Joshua. “The truth is, I believe this man is your relative. He’s aware of your existence, but I haven’t given him any details about you. All I’ve told him is your name and background, and he identified you as a possible family member.” The video call began, and a man appeared in what looked to be a home office with nautical decorations. He was in his 50s, but he was in excellent shape, with blue-green eyes and black hair under a black cap. He wore a black jacket with gold trim, a high collar, and several gold stripes along the shoulders, over a white shirt, and a dour expression.

He also, oddly, looked to be Japanese. “Good morning,” the man said in a deep voice. “You’re Joshua, then? I’m Jotaro Kujo, and I suppose I’m your cousin twice removed.”

---

Joshua had never known much in the way of family.

No siblings, no cousins, no aunts or uncles besides the ones that raised him, not even grandparents. His parents had died in a motorcycle accident when he was a baby. This was the first time in his life he’d ever encountered someone in his family like this. Someone he hadn’t even realized existed until now. Almost immediately, he sensed a kinship. Jotaro Kujo’s eyes looked like he did, their intensity and focus when he looked in the mirror if he needed to psych himself up.

Joshua scrambled to shove his breakfast out of the way of the shot, sitting upright. “I…yes, sir, that’s me,” he said. Jotaro sighed.

“Good grief. Are you always this formal? Don’t treat me differently just because we might be relatives. That is, you are my relative, aren’t you?”

Joshua’s stomach was in a knot, but he managed to say, “Maybe? I’m not sure. How…do I tell? Is there a DNA test we can take?” Jotaro sighed again.

“There’s an easy way. Turn around and pull off your shirt. Don’t be self-conscious or anything, just show me your back.”

Joshua swallowed. He had a feeling that this was an important act, though he didn’t know why. He turned and pulled up his shirt. He had a few scars from falling on his bicycle when he was younger. A birthmark on his shoulder. A mole above his hip. He was pretty muscular, he supposed, so he had some pretty notable back muscles. This is weird. What is this guy looking for ?

“That birthmark, the star-shaped one,” Jotaro said, pointing at the screen. Joshua turned his head to look at his shoulder. There was a star-shaped birthmark there, yeah. Maria had used to point it out for its distinct shape, but he brushed it off; it was just coincidence, after all. “Everyone in the Joestar lineage has one of those birthmarks. It seems you are one of my relatives after all.”

Joshua turned around to look. “Are you kidding me?” he asked before he could stop himself. “I don’t even know what a ‘Joestar’ is, and you’re telling me you can tell that just from my birthmark?”

Jotaro tipped his hat down and mumbled something, sounding exasperated. “Here, let me show you.” After a couple of moments of shuffling off camera, Jotaro returned shirtless and turned around. Sure enough, he had the exact same birthmark as Joshua did. “See? My mother, grandfather, great grandfather, and great-great grandfather all have the same. So does my daughter and my uncle.”

Huh. Joshua stared at Jotaro’s birthmark. The resemblance was definitely there, he had to admit. Did that really mean this man was his relative? He mentioned a daughter, grandparent, even an uncle. Can I really have that big of a family ? “Tell me about this ‘Joestar’ family then,” Joshua said.

Jotaro nodded. “Centuries ago, a man named Jonathan Joestar did battle with DIO, his adoptive brother who turned himself into an immortal vampire. Jonathan died, and DIO stole his body to survive. A hundred years passed, and DIO emerged in Jonathan’s body to conquer the world. Myself and several others killed DIO for good thirty-five years ago, but in the meantime, he had several children, using Jonathan’s body.” Jotaro gave Joshua an appraising look. “

“And one of those children was my father,” Joshua said, realizing. He’d never known his father, and knowing the man had been a half-vampire definitely muddled the waters a little bit. Actually, he kind of had two granddads if he was understanding this right? This was just bizarre at this point. “So am I…human?”

Jotaro sighed. “As far as I know. You’ve an uncle whom I’ve encountered. He is Dio’s son, but he is an ordinary human, so it stands to reason you are as well.”

That was good. But still. “Could DIO create zombies? Like, living dead, that kind of thing?” Jotaro nodded warily. It would explain what Hades was talking about. He must have been created before DIO stole Jonathan’s body, based on the timeline I’ve just heard. “I encountered one of those. It tried to I guess turn me into a vampire, but I don’t think anything came of it. I did already destroy it.” He relayed what had happened that night; his encounter with Hades, its words, and its death. 

Jotaro sighed. “Well, it’s for the best. The fact you’re out in the sunlight is proof that you’re fine, if it helps.” It did. Joshua wasn’t entirely sure what to make of all of this, but he was glad he wasn’t going to turn into a monster. “The Joestar family has always been fated to battle evil. With DIO’s death, that curse was supposed to be broken, but it looks like you’ve gotten yourself pulled into something anyway.”

“Yeah, you’re telling me. It’s unfortunate for sure,” Joshua said, brushing his bangs back. Typical that I’d be the one to get so unlucky . “I guess I’m kind of stuck with it now, though. You have a Stand, too, right? Rebecca mentioned it, and if you were battling DIO and he was anywhere as tough as Hades the zombie, you’d need one.”

Jotaro nodded. “I do, but my adventuring days are over. I have a family to look out for now. I’ll try to provide support where I can, though. We can keep in touch when you find the time. Maybe I can look into your birth father a bit and find out more about him?”

Joshua blinked in surprise. “That would…that would be great. Thank you.” Jotaro nodded.

“As for that zombie, from the sound of it, DIO created it a long time ago and it somehow survived to the present day. It could have been sent by Descartes, or it could just have been drawn to your Joestar blood--or DIO’s blood--independently. No way to know for sure. The important thing is that you’ve taken care of it, so you should be safe now.”

Right. That was good. With this context, that whole situation felt a little bit better. Was it really ‘fate’ that he’d met and destroyed Hades? Maybe so. Maybe it was a coincidence. But it felt like the right thing to do, and Joshua was glad he’d done it. It had almost come naturally, really. Maybe this ‘Joestar’ bloodline is something I can get used to, after all.

“Now, you be careful, okay? The Joestar lineage has always faced adversity through courage and righteousness, and that’s how we’ve survived. But your grandfather and others didn’t survive. I lost people in the battle against DIO, as well.” There was a distance in Jotaro’s eyes as he spoke. “Take care of yourself and what’s important to you, and don’t lose sight of that no matter what. Got it?”

“Yes, sir,” Joshua replied. Jotaro sighed and tipped his hat down.

“Good grief. I’ll be in touch. Good luck, Joshua, and stay safe.”

The call ended.

Chapter Text

Joshua stared quietly at the blank screen for a little while. He’d spent his entire life without any family that cared about him. Even his aunt saw him as a nuisance. But in Jotaro’s parting words, there had been a concern for him that Joshua had never really felt before. They’d only just met, but it really felt like Jotaro cared about Joshua’s safety. Am I misreading him? Is that really something he feels towards me, just because I’m his cousin? Is that how people talk to their relatives when they care about them ?

Joshua’s stomach felt tight and stiff, and he anxiously chewed on his lip. He didn’t know what to think, or how to feel about all of this. The idea of finding out about his own dad, someone who was so important yet had never been part of his life…it was a lot to think about. “Rebecca…”

Rebecca was sitting on the other side of the room with headphones on. He’d been so caught up in the conversation he hadn’t seen her put them on. After a moment, she turned around to glance at him and took them off. “Are you done speaking to Mr. Kujo?”

Joshua nodded, sitting upright and putting his hands on the desk behind him. “Yes. He said he’d keep in touch.” Rebecca nodded.

“Mr. Kujo isn’t able to fight anymore, but he’s provided intel to me up to this point. I hope your discussion with him was worthwhile. He seems--”

“Why didn’t you tell me you knew my relatives?” Joshua asked suddenly. “This would have been nice to know I had a whole family I’d missed out on.” He turned to face her, crossing his arms. “Look, I’m glad you’re being honest now, but you’ve been keeping things from us for no good reason. What is your deal? I want a straight answer, no bullshit.”

Rebecca sighed. She carefully adjusted her glasses, closed her eyes, and then turned to face Joshua. “I will try to explain everything, then. It starts with my father.” She took a slow, deep breath.

“You know him as Woden Descartes.”

---

Rebecca Locke, formerly Rebecca Descartes, had been ten years old when her father began teaching her about the world.

“Remember, Rebecca. The most important thing about life is control,” Woden Descartes told her as he spoke on the phone from his office one day. She listened intently while her babysitter, Blair’s mother, waited to tuck her in and kiss her goodnight. She’d never known her own mother. “If you control anything, be it information, resources, or other people, you can always win. Always maintain control over the rest of the world.”

In time, she had learned what her father really meant. He was a controlling man, whose mastery over surveillance systems allowed him access to information on his rivals. Even when she was a little girl, Rebecca possessed a Stand, Starset, and he’d sometimes have her use it, accessing the security cameras and firewalls of his business competitors’ offices, stealing their secrets.

Rebecca didn’t understand that this was wrong. She trusted her dad, and he was smart, so he must be right. As Bifrost Industries ballooned to the premier technology corporation in the world, she learned that her Starset was a special power, one that only she possessed. Her father had a similar power, but he never revealed it to her. All she knew was that sometimes people would come to ask him questions about his business, and then they would quit their jobs to work for him instead. She just assumed he was very persuasive. He was so smart, he must have been able to convince people of his rightful position, right?

Rebecca excelled at a prestigious private school but never made many friends, being seen as aloof and distant. People feared her and her father. She didn’t understand why at the time; he’d never done anything wrong. Only Blair, her best friend, would talk to her and explain what was wrong. “Your dad is weird,” she’d say bluntly. “He’s got a menacing aura around him. Talking to him feels like hugging an ice sculpture; he’s so cold and distant.”

She’d always brushed Blair off as not knowing him well, but as she got older, she began to understand. There was something off about her father, his charismatic smile, his charming eloquence. She realized that what he was using her special power for was hurting others, and she grew conflicted.

One day, her father called on her to perform a special task. “There are others like us, with special powers, Rebecca,” he exclaimed. “I want you to use your Starset to find them and have them come work for me. If we all work together, miraculous things can occur.”

She’d done so, dutifully, locating many people. A lot of them joined Descartes, but many didn’t. Those that did always seemed unsavory to her, and made her uncomfortable to be around. Those that didn’t seemed to disappear, and she soon developed a suspicion as to why. A suspicion she couldn’t share with her father, but only with Blair. Blair, who told her, “I think your dad is a bad guy. He’s dangerous, and he might even be having those people kidnapped or killed. Maybe you should run away from him.”

“No,” Rebecca had replied. “I don’t think I can.”

“Why not? With that ability you told me about, he’d never find you,” Blair had said, face close to Rebecca’s. Rebecca sighed.

“I know he’s a bad person. But if I run away…who else knows? Who else will stop him? If we’re right and he’s doing terrible things, he ought to be stopped. Someone has to do something, and I’m the only one who can. I need to find his weakness. A way I can take him down.”

They’d worked together. Rebecca learned about the Heaven Stone Descartes had, and she’d asked her dad to give Blair a power so she could be her bodyguard. He’d allowed it, and Blair had developed Lacuna Coil. It was then that she learned of the Fang family, and the origin of the stones.

Alice Fang's parents and Descartes were friends, coworkers, and had even eaten dinner at Rebecca’s mansion many times. This was when Rebecca was a little kid, before her dad had told her about the importance of control. Alice’s mother was an engineer, but her father was an archeologist. They’d gone on an archeological expedition together to research the location where a meteor had fallen in Cape York, Greenland.

There, they’d discovered the Heaven Stone, awakening Stands within themselves. It was then that the seeds of evil must have been planted. He sought greater and greater power, to unlock the secrets of the stone and achieve control over the whole world. Rebecca learned that  on the flight home, he had used his power to kill the Fangs. In their final moments, Alice’s mother had shattered the stone with such force that the shards were scattered across the entire country within a few hours. Descartes had been defied, and he had lost.

This is why he had used Rebecca to find allies, and once he had enough people under his thumb, he sought to find the stones and reclaim the power he intended to abuse. To that end, he set Rebecca on the task of locating them. It was there that her rebellion began. She could only do so much to conceal the results of her examination, but she did what she could.

More importantly, she began seeking out allies. She contacted the Speedwagon Foundation, who helped her covertly move funds into a private account that Descartes didn’t know about. She located Alice Fang and learned that she was a Stand user, and found Joshua Jordan, whom she learned from the Foundation’s resources was likely a relative of many powerful Stand users that preceded him.

When the time finally came, Rebecca made her move. She snuck into Descartes’ study and slipped the stone fragment he held out of the building. She and Blair then set off, using Starset to conceal her presence, and decided to make their way to find Joshua Jordan in the hopes he would become an ally to them. And the hopes that Descartes would not find out he existed before they reached him .

---

“That is my story, essentially,” Rebecca said. Alice, Blair, and Maria had all been brought into Rebecca’s hotel room. After Joshua had demanded his answer, Rebecca had finally relented and gathered everyone to come clean. Joshua was kind of surprised honestly, but glad to finally be getting somewhere.

“Joshua is entirely right that I should have been more honest about all of this. Everything I knew and was involved in was important to you all, and I am truly sorry for being unclear up to this point.” Rebecca bowed her head.

Maria frowned. She was cross-legged on the bed. “Well, I forgive you, personally.” She looked at Joshua, who sighed.

“I’m glad you were honest with us, but I have to ask; why didn’t you tell us this before?” he asked, hands behind his head. Feed the Wolf stood behind him in a similar pose. “I get that you don’t exactly want to just say that your dad is a supervillain basically, but what kept you from telling me about my family?”

Rebecca adjusted her spectacles. “I wish I could say, to be honest with you,” she admitted. “It just…didn’t seem right. I don’t know why I couldn’t bring myself to tell you all of this. It’s not a secret, it doesn’t endanger me. I should have simply admitted that I knew of your family, and Alice’s too, for that matter.” She glanced over at the young girl, who looked pensive and unsure.

“I’m glad to know I was right, I think,” Alice said after a moment. “Thank you for telling me. I know now for sure that I need to take action here.” She sat upright. “If my mom and dad died opposing this man, it’s important enough that I should help stop him too, e-even if I die too!”

“Well, I definitely hope you don’t die, Alice,” Maria said, crossing her arms. “But it looks like we’ve got everything worked out. Does anyone else have any questions, comments, observations, concerns?” She glanced around.

Joshua didn’t speak, but he was thinking. It’s strange that she seems so perplexed by the situation herself. It’s like she has no reason at all to be so cagey. Maybe she doesn’t understand why she did it? She mentioned Descartes--her father--has the power to control minds. Could he be influencing her somehow? I’ll need to be wary, even if I don’t think she’s a bad person. Still, this is a start. I think I’ve gotten through to her, at least a little .

“I’m good,” Blair said, leaning against the wall. “I already knew a lot of this, though she didn’t mention being in contact with Joshua’s cousin.” Her brow was furrowed, and she seemed troubled. “But I’m fine.”

Maria clapped her hands. “Sounds like everyone’s good then?” Nobody objected. “Great! Let’s get ready then. It’s a long road to Chicago, so make sure to have a big breakfast before we leave, ‘cause we’re not stopping!”

Maria and Alice headed out of the room to finish packing. Joshua rolled his eyes as he walked past. Blair whispered to Rebecca, “Since when is she the one in charge?” Rebecca just laughed.

---

 “…And that’s basically everything I found out,” Joshua concluded to Maria as the two of them packed in their room. Well, Maria was packing; Joshua had already finished putting everything in place and was in the process of making the beds just to have something to do while they talked. “I have a cousin, and a whole family and everything.”

“Wow…” Maria said, stopping in thought in the middle of the room and crossing her arms. “I don’t know what to say, Jojo. I’m really happy for you.”

Joshua sighed. “I dunno.” We only spoke for a few minutes. I don’t know anything about him, not his likes or dislikes. I think I’ve seen his name in some articles about marine biology, but that’s it . He finished fluffing the pillows. “It’s kind of underwhelming, I guess. It doesn’t really feel like I met him, you know? Like he’s really my family.”

“I think you’re overthinking it,” Maria replied lightly. She was in the process of shoving one of her many shirts into a suitcase. “Once we’re all done here, I’m sure you can get to know them all better, right?” He shrugged. She doesn’t really get it. She knows what it’s like to have people in your life like that. I don’t. I don’t know how it’s supposed to feel, so I don’t know if this feeling is right .

“ Besides, there was that whole spiel of courage and righteousness, wasn’t there? What am I supposed to make of that? Am I a courageous or righteous kind of guy, do you think?” Joshua didn’t think so, not really. He wasn’t that great a person when it came down to it. He’d help out if someone was in trouble, sure, but so would most people. That didn’t make him any kind of hero. No, Joshua was the type of person to look out for himself first, and he knew it. But Maria just laughed knowingly and the conversation died out there.

They finished packing and got out of the hotel, loading into the car and setting up. Because of the previous detour to Pittsburgh, traffic, and visiting the suburbs to pick up Alice, they’d spent more than 14 hours on the road. Luckily, the trip to Chicago from here was a little shorter, only about 6 hours.

“Once we arrive, I propose that we pair off. Blair and I will follow one lead, while Joshua and Maria will investigate elsewhere,” Rebecca said as she started the car. “Our objective is to find out where the street gang is holding the Heaven Stone and retrieve it. The gang is relatively small but influential, holding territory and dealing in drugs and weapon trafficking. They allow a few of their users to possess Stands, so we will likely encounter enemy Stand users.”

“What about me?” Alice asked. Rebecca looked over her shoulder at the younger girl sitting in the back.

“You’ll remain out of the immediate investigation and stay at the hotel. We’ll expect you to be ready to make your way to us quickly if anyone suffers a serious injury. Are you up for that?”

“Of course!” Alice exclaimed. “I can easily get on the bus or take a cab anywhere. I just  thought I’d…uhm…be a little more directly involved, you know?” She fidgeted a little. “I want to help with the investigation, too.”

Joshua rolled his eyes. “Look, we’re dealing with hardened criminals. They won’t hesitate to kill you. It’s risky enough with Rebecca, since her Stand can’t defend her directly. Yours doesn’t even have a physical form. Just stay out of the way while we do our work.”

“What Jojo means ,” Maria interrupted, “is that it’s risky for you to be out and about, and if you get hurt, nobody will be able to heal you. It’s safest to keep you out of harms’ way so you can be on hand wherever you’re needed if there’s an emergency.”

“Oh. I see…” Alice said quietly, crossing her arms and settling back into the seat. Joshua sighed.

They all loaded up into the car while Joshua began reviewing the map of the city. Rebecca had used her Stand to access the records of the police in the city, to assess the locations where the gang ‘Tartarus’ were active. Their members were unidentified save for a symbol they identified themselves with, resembling a three-headed dog. They’d started as just a normal street gang, dealing in drugs and territorial control, but at some point they’d come into possession of a Heaven Stone.

“How did they get the stone?” Joshua asked. Rebecca shrugged.

“The stones possess a ‘will’ of their own and the ability to somehow travel on their own. They seem to seek out those with strong wills, for good or ill, to awaken Stands within them. For instance, the stone I possess acted of its own volition to seek out Maria and awaken Horizon in her.”

Joshua nodded. “So once they got their stone, they used it to give some of their members powers, and now they’ve expanded their territory and money making.”

“Started dealing in weapon trafficking, extortion and racketeering, even wetworks,” Blair said, frowning. “Less a street gang, more a criminal empire. They’re supporting much of the organized crime in the city, and plenty of street-level crooks, too.”

Joshua knew plenty about gangs. They were just people, really, people down on their luck a lot of the time. He’d never involved himself in them, though, and he’d always been safe from their members with his power, so maybe he was giving them too much credit. “So what exactly are we trying to do here?”

“I don’t think it’s possible to fully disband the organization by ourselves, not with the limited time we have,” Rebecca replied. “Our primary objective is to reclaim the stone. If we can incapacitate members of the gang and have them removed from the table, that is good, but we can’t afford to delay our pursuit of the other stones, either.”

Joshua nodded. It wasn’t ideal, but it made sense. They had limited time and resources; best to just get through all of this. Hopefully, things would be that straightforward. Unfortunately, he had a feeling that he wouldn’t be so lucky.

---

The rest of the car ride was simple enough, at least.

They spent a lot of it studying the map of Chicago and the area as well as resting. Their plan of action was clearly set, so at a certain point there wasn’t much more to do but prepare themselves for the coming incidents.

There will be incidents, obviously , Blair Garboda thought to herself. Nothing is ever easy in the world of Stand users .

Everyone else was resting, but she had spent the time doing research. By the time they reached their hotel, Blair had already figured out the point she was going to check out. She’d be doing the heavy lifting alone, of course. Becca was mainly intended to use her Stand to prevent them from being detected. As soon as a fight broke out, she’d need to retreat. As for the others…

I know I shouldn’t underestimate Joshua and Maria, but they annoy me. More importantly, I don’t trust them. They are loyal to each other, not to Becca or the mission. Joshua endangered himself to protect Maria, jeopardizing the mission in the process. I can’t count on them when the situation is dire. I have to rely on myself and Becca for this .

As for Alice…well, she seemed set on taking Descartes down. Blair glanced over at her, drawing in the backseat. She seemed fragile, but Becca trusted in her ability, so Blair would too. After all, healing was always useful, no matter how weak the healer was.

“We’re here,” Rebecca said as she pulled in. Chicago wasn’t as big as New York City, but it felt just as busy to Blair. Just as dangerous; harder to pick out an enemy on the approach before it was too late. The car parked and everyone began to file out. “Once we’ve checked into our rooms, we’ll set out on our mission at once.”

“Aww, can’t we just rest for a bit?” Maria complained. “We barely got to see anything in the last two cities, and we’ve been driving for so long.”

Blair rolled her eyes. There she went again, not taking this seriously. “The sooner we find the stone, the better off we are. There’s no use wasting time.”

Joshua shrugged, folding his hands behind his head. “Unfortunate. We’ll limber up while we walk around, I guess.” He glanced over at Maria. “And the two of us can check out the city a little while we walk around. It seems like Blair and Becca have a plan?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Becca confirmed. “We will be visiting a hotspot of activity and interrogating the members, before working our way up the chain of command.”

“Sounds like a good idea. I think we should do the same in a different sector,” Joshua said. “Unless you think we’d draw too much attention?”

Becca shook her head. “No, we want to be decisive and fast. We intend to move on quickly, so drawing some ire won’t matter much. Everyone ready?”

The group affirmed, and they set off once more.

Chapter Text

“Woden?” a woman’s voice broke Descartes out of his focused state as he assessed the reports he’d received 7 minutes ago. That had been when he knew something was awry; he had explicitly stated only to be reported to when something had gone wrong, and to have the stones delivered immediately upon their retrieval. He had not been delivered the stones.

The man glanced up; he was handsome, with a short and well-trimmed goatee, neatly cropped brown hair with sideswept bangs, blue eyes, with pale skin. He wore a perfectly tailored navy dress suit with a white vest and black undershirt and a blue tie with several black stars on it. It was immaculate; not even a single hair seemed out of place or inappropriate.

His office, at the skyscraper office of Bifrost Industries, was no different from his own appearance; a large open space backed by extravagant windows viewing the skyline of the city. The building was 50 stories tall, housing a large number of servers, offices, and even areas for the employees to rest or recreate, like at Google. A huge oak desk sat at the back, across from the door and a large mirrored panel on the far wall. No other decorations existed; the walls were sterile white. There wasn’t even a plant in any of the corners.

“Hestia and Artemis have failed,” Descartes said. “That is what you have come to tell me, Eden. The stone that girl stole and the stone held in the museum are both in her possession.”

“Yes,” Eden said, stepping around the corner. She had short blonde hair in a side swept pixie cut and black eyes. Her outfit was all black; a black button-down with a long sleeve on the right side and an exposed shoulder on the left, and black shorts with the left leg being longer like pants. There was a white star on the center of her chest and smaller stars on her stomach. “I know you expected as much, but it’s not ideal to be sure.”

“That girl’s Stand, Starset, is incapable of fighting. Her bodyguard, Blair Garboda, has her Lacuna Coil, though. Was Ms. Garboda able to defeat both our agents?”

Eden shook her head, walking over to the desk and putting her elbows on it, eye level with Descartes. “From what we know, they were able to recruit two different allies who aided them in defeating our agents.” She produced a document from a folder and placed it in front of him; despite being the mogul of a tech company, he preferred everything in paper.

“Joshua Jordan is a Stand user you are familiar with,” a shot from some kind of surveillance camera on the street showed him walking down the sidewalk, hands in his pockets, glancing aside. “Having been identified by Starset, we attempted to recruit him, but it seems he refused, violently, and put Hestia out of commission in the process. Hestia is still comatose from his injuries, so we don’t know what his Stand does, but I suspect he is a dangerous enemy.”

Eden slid a second document onto the desk. “This woman, however, we don’t have much information on.” A mugshot of Maria, probably from her school, featured on the page. “‘Maria Ella’ is not a known Stand user, but when we interviewed Artemis, she claims that this woman defeated her using a close-ranged power-type Stand capable of creating barriers.”

Descartes’ face betrayed no emotions, even to Eden. “This is not what we had hoped for,” he said after a moment. The statement was superfluous; he would try to avoid making such assertions in the future.  “Have we maintained visuals on this group?”

“No,” Eden replied. “The girl has used Starset to remove them all from communications. We know roughly when they were at the museum, but otherwise, we have no knowledge of their position.”

“Incorrect,” Descartes said. “The girl will go where she believes she is most urgently needed to stop us. She will go to the stone in Chicago, Illinois. We in turn will send an agent there to assassinate one or more members.” He considered for a moment. “The girl is cautious and won’t allow herself to be ambushed, but the two she’s recruited may not be so wary. If we eliminate one or both of them, it will be easy to finish her and Blair off.”

Eden smiled, showing teeth. “I see. Would you like me to destroy them?” Her Stand appeared; it resembled a checkered black-and-white possum the size of a large dog, with an elongated body, draped around her shoulders like a stole. There was a white star on its forehead. “My Blackstar is perfectly capable of crushing your enemies into submission.”

Descartes shook his head. “No. You won’t be needed, so it’s better you remain at my side for the time being.” He nodded and turned his gaze down. “Send Gaia. She should be well-suited to the circumstances of combat in a large city, and is a capable assassin.”

Eden nodded. “Yes, sir. Incidentally, you have an appointment in ten minutes,” She turned and walked briskly out, leaving him to analyze the documents while she tended to other matters. This position was optimal for him. He’d successfully assigned most of his official work to underlings like Eden and others so he could focus on his true objective.

Power.

Power over others was the inevitable goal of all successful people. Those who lived happy and fulfilling lives did so because they had the ability to escape hardship by passing it to lesser people. Descartes wished for this power above all. He lived a luxurious life of wealth, but he was still subject to others. That appointment would allow him control over the person he was meeting.

A faint green aura appeared behind him, one with a bulbous head and a long tail. With his Empire of Steel, he would soon have power over not just his enemies, but everyone, friend and stranger alike. All would bow to him, and he would be the one true master of the world. That was his ambition, ever since he had learned about the Heaven Stones. He would reach his ambition at all costs.

Descartes allowed himself a smile.

---

“Once we’re at the drug house we learned about from those street-level dealers, I will use my ability to sense the presence of any Stand users guarding the building, and then you can enter and take care of anyone inside. We’ll capture and interrogate whoever attempts to use their Stand powers to attack you,” Becca explained.

Blair nodded. Her job in this situation was simple; she was the hitter. Becca’s Stand had a limited range of sensation, about 20 meters, but by linking to electronics or Stand users within her range, she could extend her maximum reach. Its primary ability was over surveillance; it could access surveillance equipment and control it, viewing its records or erasing herself or others from their footage.

Becca had also trained herself to sense Stand users with it, as well, and believed it to be capable of further growth. She always was a strong-willed and ambitious person, quick to put in the work when she had a goal. That was one of the things Blair loved about her.

Blair stood quietly as her partner scanned the area. The street-level goons hadn’t had much to give, but the address where they performed their deals was as close to a hit as they’d expected. The street was quiet and modest, near the suburbs of the city. Out of the way, not in such poor condition that it was heavily patrolled, but not so nice that a random junkie attracted attention. A good place to deal drugs without getting busted.

Even the house itself was ordinary, a simple two-story building crammed between taller apartments. It had no real decorations in the front, no flag or lawn ornaments, not that it had much lawn. It was unremarkable in most ways, which was fitting. Countless people could walk by this place and not suspect a thing. I’m a bit impressed by how well-kept it is. These guys know how to set up a drug house .

“There is one Stand user on the premises,” Rebecca said, opening her eyes and dismissing her Stand. “I believe they have a short-ranged power type Stand whose ability affects an area. I can’t ascertain the size or properties of the area, however.” She leaned against the fence they stood at across the street from the house. “I also can’t tell exactly what floor they’re on. I’d need to get closer.”

Blair shook her head. “No need. I’ll find them.” She put one hand on her hip, the other behind her head, and started strutting out into the street.

The inside of the house was smaller and more cluttered than Blair had expected. There were a large number of tchotchkes on the nearby shelves; tiny clocks, statues, spiky ornaments, photo frames containing the generic stock pictures they came with. The walls were laden with dime paintings. The sides of the walkway into what seemed to be the mudroom were littered with toy cars and other playthings. It looked like a poorly-managed thrift store.

Running her hand through her mohawk as she walked a few feet further, Blair carefully opened the door and peered her head in. The wallpaper was frayed and there were scorch marks on the ground and walls, even the ceiling. Bullet holes, from the look of them. She carefully pushed the door open.

It looked like a sitting room, one lined with large boxes, each almost big enough to fit a person inside. Rows of shelves covered the walls, all holding more knickknacks, statuettes, toys, and all kinds of random objects. Blair was immediately wary of them, even more than she was of the young man lounging on the couch in the center of the room.

---

“You’re not one of our usuals,” he said, hands folded behind his head with his legs crossed. He was slim and short, with slicked-black blond hair and sleepy brown eyes. He was wearing a brown pinstripe suit with a black vest over it and black bell-bottom pants, and he looked very relaxed.

“ That’s the Stand user ,” she heard Becca say. By using her Stand, Becca was able to communicate from afar without either of them needing to make a phone call.

Blair had assumed as much, but it was still good to confirm. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?” he chuckled, not moving from his position. “Just kidding, we don’t have a cat in here. Wouldn’t want it getting into the merch. You don’t look like a cop, and you’re not here to buy, so who are you, really?”

Blair crossed her arms. “I’m here to ask you about the special ‘stone’ which gave you and others your powers. It doesn’t belong to you, so we’ll be taking it back now. Who has it, and where is it?”

The man laughed lightly. “To the point, huh? Not even introducing yourself?” He sat up and pointed his thumb at himself. “Well, first off, I’m Hermes, the crew chief for the dealers in this part of the city. Nice to meetcha. Second, you’re talking about the ‘magic rock’ that the boss has, yeah?”

The ‘crew chief’ was similar to the caporegime in the Mafia, and it meant he was in charge of an area and the people in that area. He ran the day-to-day operations of his crew, and made his money off of the earnings of those under his command, which he in turn gave to the higher-ups. Hermes was thus a higher-ranking individual than a ‘soldier’ or a lower level member of the gang.

Blair nodded, and he smiled. “Gotcha, figured. See, we call it ‘magic rock’ because it makes our little grunts think it’s just some kind of product we’re dealing in. But also, it is in fact a magic rock.” Hermes stood, crossing his arms and leaning back. “So you want it? Why’s that?”

Hmph, why am I even talking to this man? I should just take him out now. This is a waste of time. Still, it was risky to directly engage now, as much as she wanted to get this over with. Blair knew he was a Stand user, but she didn’t know what his ability was. It was likely she was already in the area of influence of his Stand, from what Becca had said. She needed to wait for her opening before she struck.

“It doesn’t belong to you. It’s a dangerous artifact that needs to be kept out of the hands of regular people,” she explained. Hermes chuckled.

“Well, hey, that’s what we’re doing, isn’t it? The boss is just using it for themselves and his buddies like me; we don’t just give it to any old member. So don’t worry, you can trust us with it.” He turned around and started walking away. There was a hallway behind him, and Blair could see some stairs leading up on one wall. “So, problem solved. You can be on your way.”

Blair narrowed her eyes. “You know that’s not what I meant. Get back here, or I will stop you from leaving by force.”

Hermes turned around. His lazy smile had turned a bit cold. “I don’t think I really need to care what you mean. The thing is, if you don’t want to just let us have the stone, that changes nothing. It belongs to us, and if you try to take it, we’ll just kill you.” He shrugged. “Your choice, really.” He continued walking.

Typical. I guess I have no choice. I should expect an attack, but if I can get the first hit in, I’ll be at a huge advantage . “I don’t think so. Lacuna--”

WHAM.

Something slammed into the side of Blair’s head just as she began to call out her Stand. She staggered, grunting as she almost lost her balance from the impact. Then, something else hit her on the other side, grazing her forehead. Blair’s head snapped backwards and she dropped to the ground on her knees, stunned.

As she regained her senses, Blair looked around. Hermes was walking away from her, giving her a mock salute from the other side of the couch. To the left and ride of her were what looked like a shattered snowglobe and the remnants of an ornate antique clock, both bloodied. Was I attacked by those knickknacks ?

As Hermes left her line of sight, he called out, “In that case…welcome to my Linkin Park.”

---

Groaning, Blair lifted her head up and glanced around. Her head was bleeding from the temples, unfortunately. There was no sign of Hermes or his Stand, either. The room was dead silent. Not even the windows rattled. Blair composed herself, recovering her bearings, trying to observe her surroundings. Slowly breathing in and out.

“ Blair, are you alright?! ” Rebecca’s voice made Blair start in place. “ The enemy has activated their Stand and moved to the second floor! Are you being attacked? ”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Blair replied, rising to her feet. “I’m not sure how he attacked me, but he managed to slip out in the process. He’s upstairs, you say?”

“ Yes. He’s almost directly above you. ” Blair scoffed and summoned her Stand, launching a series of strikes into the ceiling above her. The wood dented and shook, but didn’t break. Damn. Her Stand lacked raw physical strength, so it wasn’t able to bust through. Those two could probably get through … But no, that wouldn’t be necessary. She could do this on her own. She just needed to go around the couch and into the hallway where the stairs were.

There was a quiet rattling behind Blair, and she turned. On the shelf, a set of ornate daggers was shaking slightly. Suddenly, as Blair readied herself, they launched themselves blade-first right at her. “Lacuna Coil!” Blair’s Stand emerged and immediately began lashing out with a series of strikes. The blades scattered in the air.

But then, rather than clattering to the floor like she’d expected, the knives were simply flung backwards into the air. After a moment, they leveled themselves, pointing directly at Blair before launching themselves at high speed once more. Her eyes widened. Did I not deflect them properly? No, I’d definitely punched those knives dead-on.

Lacuna Coil appeared once more, this time not to strike, but to grab. Stretching out a chain between its hands at high speed, the Stand deftly twisted the links of metal into a series of loops, catching the knives in the coils of the chain. Lacuna Coil grimaced, struggling to hold the blades tightly between its hands. Despite being mundane objects, the amount of force the knives were putting out was intense.

Suddenly, there was a whooshing sound from behind Blair and she whipped around. Another set of knives had emerged from the opposite side of the room and was flying at her as well. “Dammit!” Blair cursed as she realized what was happening. I’m being attacked from multiple angles at once!

“Lacuna Coil!” Slicing through the air with the chain like a whip, Blair’s Stand managed to just barely deflect the daggers an inch or two from Blair’s face. Expecting the knives to fall to the ground, before she could even let out her breath, Blair was caught off-guard once more as the blades seemed to jump from the links of the chain and collide directly with the knives in midair. The half dozen or so daggers all clattered to the ground, vibrating against each other in one mass. Then, they scattered as though relaxing.

“Becca, what was that?” Blair asked, guard still raised, Stand hovering behind her to cover any blind spots.

“ I can’t see what you’re seeing right now, Blair. The enemy used his Stand to attack you, but I don’t know the details from this distance, ” Becca replied apologetically. Blair groaned. Becca was so perceptive it was sometimes easy to forget that her Stand had limits.

“I’ve been attacked from multiple angles at once by the random objects in this room,” Blair explained, slowly backing up to one of the shelved walls. “First it was a snowglobe and a clock, then it was a set of knives. They flew at me without error, even when I deflected them.”

“ Some sort of telekinetic Stand, then, with the ability to manipulate objects remotely ,” Becca mused. “ That potentially gives multiple angles of attack. What else is in the room now? ” Blair looked around. It was not good; if Becca’s theory was correct, the room was littered with random objects. Those toy trucks, antique lanterns, and creepy little porcelain statues were looking much more dangerous now.

“The room is full of junk, like the house of some old person with too much time on their hands. I think it’s been set up to give the enemy traps to use against people that come in here.” Blair said. While her back was to the wall, she was very unsafe in here. Should I make for a retreat? If I turn my back on this room to flee, I may be attacked again. And the hallway is lined with more random objects to attack with as well. I may not be able to escape here.

There was a rattling behind her again. Blair turned to look, immediately bringing Lacuna Coil in front of her to defend her. Indeed, a small porcelain lawn ornament of a gnome had lifted into the air and was rapidly hurtling towards her. He’s begun a new attack against me, but this time I’m ready to be struck by more than one thing at a time.

“Lacuna Coil!” Blair held up her hand and conjured a chain from her palm. Launching forward, it swiftly coiled itself around Blair’s head, forming a neat, uniform layer of links from the top of her head down to her chin. “If he wants to keep throwing objects at me, I’ll just block them with my chain.”

Sure enough, the porcelain lawn gnome smashed itself against the side of Blair’s head as she turned away, but the chain held firm, acting like a solid cage to protect her. The ornament shattered and fell to the ground, and Blair faintly smirked. She hadn’t heard anything coming from the other direction, so it looked like he was getting desperate. It seems like he only has one mode of attack, so now that I’ve countered it, I can easily get out of this room.

Wump.

“Mph?!” Blair exclaimed, smothered, as a scarf appeared behind her. A thick, heavy, rainbow wool scarf, the type Blair would absolutely never wear. It wrapped itself around Blair’s head, forming a tight knot while it covered her face, eyes, and mouth. She tried to call out Becca’s name as her vision was obscured, but even as she pulled at the scarf, it had tied itself into a complicated coil around her head. She couldn’t even find the end of it.

There was another rattling coming from nearby, but it was so muffled she couldn’t hear it clearly, or tell exactly where it was coming from. Dammit. I got cocky, and now I’m in a bad spot. The chains should protect my head, but what if he figures out he can attack another part of my body? I need to get out of this quickly, or I could be run through. I’ve underestimated this Hermes; he’s a real threat after all !

Chapter Text

Blair was fucking pissed.

It was only a normal wool scarf, but for some reason it was attached firmly to Blair’s head. Even bringing up Lacuna Coil’s hands to try to pry it off, the yarn stuck to her with incredible force. It was clearly under the effect of the enemy’s Stand, which had the ability to manipulate objects somehow.

Is the scarf being pulled towards me somehow, like a magnet ? Blair frowned, still clinging to the scarf. The enemy had only ever attacked with two objects at a time. Blair had destroyed one of them moments ago, but the scarf was still attacking her. Was it somehow being attracted to her, or maybe the chain around her head? It felt like it was glued to her, so that was possible.

Shit. Luckily, Blair could still use her Stand’s vision to spot the enemy attack. There, over in the corner, a tiny ornamental metal clock was lifting off to launch at her. It had a long, spiky bit on the top of it, like a steeple, which could easily impale her in the stomach at high speeds. Immediately, though, Lacuna Coil turned around, fists raised, and spied that to Blair’s back, a large glass snow globe was also beginning to move. If that shattered against her back, it could cause terrible lacerations.

“Lacuna Coil,” Blair said, summoning her Stand. She had roughly deduced the enemy’s ability; they could cause two ‘objects’ to fly towards each other at high speed and force. It was a simple power, but effective in a room like this, where they had specifically loaded it with ‘objects’ to attack with. She could only assume they had not dealt with Stand users before now; if she were a normal person, she’d be totally helpless.

But Blair was not a normal person. She was a Stand user. “You won’t get me this time, you bastard!” Blair said through the scarf, sending a chain from her hand. As the snow globe, which was only a few feet away, was launched at her back, she hooked it in her chain. She couldn’t keep it from flying towards the clock, but she was able to relocate it. Swinging the chain in an arc, Blair sent the glass sphere at a slight angle, pulling it just far enough around her body that it brushed underneath her arm before accelerating forward and smashing into the other projectile. The two fell harmlessly to the ground, shattered into pieces.

The scarf fell from her face; Blair assumed Hermes could only throw two objects at each other, and no more. Still, it was best to allow the chain wrapping around her head to disappear, so he couldn’t pull anything else right at her face. Blair allowed herself to relax only a little; it was clear that there was no safe place to be in this room. “Becca, I’m still safe for now,” she said. “I believe the enemy Stand, ‘Linkin Park’, is capable of causing objects to be attracted to each other. He’s trapping me between dangerous objects. He can even target my Stand’s chains with the effect.”

“ He can probably see you then, or has some other way of sensing what’s in the room ,” Becca replied. “ Otherwise, he would have no way of telling where you were, or be able to target your chains, since he wouldn’t know you have them .”

Blair nodded. It made sense. Didn’t help her get out of this room and up the stairs, but it made it easier to understand the threat. “If I had a way of blocking his line of sight I would, but there’s no cameras, so I’m not sure how he’s seeing me,” she said. There’s probably a hole in the ceiling, but finding that would take too long. My best bet is to reach Hermes and beat the shit out of him directly.

A large plastic canister suddenly rolled into Blair’s leg, and she grunted in pain, clutching her shin as it smashed against the bone. “Oh, fuck,” she muttered as the can burst open and some kind of fluid spilled all over her boots and the floor. It was viscous and slippery, like… “He just spilled oil on me,” she said. The other object was nowhere to be seen, but if she had to guess…

Blair extended a chain into the ceiling and pulled herself up, just in time. A lit lighter had been thrown into the oil from the bottom of the shelf behind her, and immediately it all went up in flames, her feet just barely dodging. Swinging out of the growing bonfire, Blair landed on the couch, grimacing. Not knowing where the enemy was going to attack from next was proving to be a problem for her.

“Where is he upstairs, Becca?” Blair asked. The couch underneath her was shaking, and so was the large coffee table in front of it. She didn’t have much time.

“ He’s near the front of the house on the second floor ,” Becca replied. “ It looks to be some kind of attic from what I can see. I don’t have a clear line of sight from outside, though, or I could try to shoot him .” Becca’s gun wasn’t much, but without a combat-oriented Stand, it was the best she could do. Even so, there was only so much Becca could do from outside, and entering the building was too risky.

“I need--” as Blair spoke, the couch lurched underneath her and she staggered, losing her balance. The table lifted off the ground and came flying at her, like a paper airplane thrown by a little kid at their stuffy teacher. She could be crushed outright.

“Shit. Lacuna Coil!” Blair summoned her Stand, who immediately rushed at the incoming table, raining down blows. Her Stand wasn’t the strongest as far as physical strikes, but it got the job done. The table shattered into pieces under the barrage of punches. However, Blair realized too late a critical fact. Will shattering the table actually stop it from flying towards the couch ?

It did not. Large, jagged pieces of wood flew towards and past her, embedding into the couch like daggers. Because Lacuna Coil had been punching the table in front of Blair, most of the splinters flew past her, but those that still grazed her arms and cheek left large, bloody cuts. She gasped in pain, narrowly avoiding taking a chunk of wood to the eye by tipping her head backwards.

“Fuck,” Blair growled, wiping the blood off her face. Luckily, nothing vital had been hit, but she was getting frustrated. What was she doing, playing on the defensive, letting this bastard toy with her? Blair stood up and gritted her teeth. All she had to do was make it to the stairs, which looked to be mostly clear of obstacles. If she could get out of this room and into the hallway leading to the stairwell, she could probably take this guy out. His Stand had a powerful area of effect, but that usually meant it was weak in close proximity.

Hopping off of the now-shredded couch, Blair faced down the hallway. It was about 10 meters in length, and at the end was what looked like another room. However, halfway down the hall was a stairwell leading up, and that’s where Hermes had gone. The problem was that there was a stack of tall wooden crates at the end of the hallway as well as behind her, and if she tried to walk down the path, she’d be crushed between them.

The bottom floor, where Blair was trapped, had no nearby windows that she could reach, and going out the front door would require her to cross the entire room again. Blair had little choice but to just charge forward and endure whatever he threw at her. Ready or not, here I come, Hermes! With that, she broke into a sprint.

As expected, as soon as she jumped off the couch into the corridor, the boxes at the front and back began levitating up to strike. Within moments, they had launched themselves at high speed. These were heavy-duty wooden crates, like shipping crates, and they’d certainly flatten Blair into a paste if she was caught between them. But that was only an ‘if’, because Blair had a plan. “Lacuna Coil!” she invoked, and her Stand appeared at her side.

Blair leaned over and touched the floor with the tips of her left hand’s finger, and a chain emerged from the floor, shooting out at high speed behind her. It impaled itself, not into the crate, but into the couch, which though tattered was still in one piece, and pulled it towards her. Blair dropped to her knees as a second chain emerged from the ground. The couch arrived, gliding over her head before being impaled by the second chain, suspending it lengthwise in midair.

After a moment, there was a loud crash as the crates collided into the ends of the couch. The crates cracked and strained, but the couch was too durable to be crushed, and the boxes were too resilient to shatter. Blair rose up to her feet, safely between the suspended objects. “Hmph,” she snorted. Before Hermes could get the chance to change targets, Blair jumped over the couch and ran past it, ducking around the trembling crate before arriving at the stairwell. Surprisingly, it was empty. Probably too much of a pain to step around piles of knicknacks.

“Becca, I’m at the stairs and going up now. I’m going to try and disable the enemy Stand user,” Blair relayed. After listening for the affirmative, Blair ran up the stairs, which wound around another landing before reaching the top. There was a closed door up there, no doubt trapped in itself. Blair took a breath, readied herself, and used a chain from her hand to open the doorknob.

“So, you also have a ‘special power’, eh?” Hermes called as the door creaked open. “It’s pretty cool. You’ve got talent. Sure you’re not interested in joining us? I could put in a word with the boss, you know. I’m sure he’d forgive you for making a mess of my house.”

“So you know the boss personally?” Blair asked, raising an eyebrow but not approaching the door just yet. Hermes didn’t reply. “Like I said, I’m here for your ‘magic rock’ and nothing else.” She folded her arms and tilted her chin up. “I don’t think you’re going to be able to get away from me, so you should surrender. Now. If you do, we’ll go easy on you.”

Hermes laughed lightly. “Try me. You think I’ve never been threatened before? I deal drugs for a living, kid. Just ‘cause you’re slightly more of a problem than a crackhead with a knife, doesn’t mean you scare me. Ever since I got my Linkin Park, I don’t have to be scared of anyone.”

She could hear his smirk from upstairs. “So? You gonna face me like a real fighter, or are you gonna pussy out? If you run, I’ll let you live. How’s that?” Blair didn’t respond, scowling to herself. He was confident, for sure. Most Stand users were.

“I’ve lived in Chicago all my life,” Hermes continued. “I used to have an ordinary middle class life, and I hated every second of it.”

Blair frowned as he spoke, waiting for her opportunity. “Society bores me.. I want to break rules and cause chaos. It started as pranks, and eventually grew into crime. Eventually, violent crime. That was when the gang picked me up,” he said with a laugh. “And I’ve been happy ever since. Sure, I’m in a position of authority and I gotta manage people, but I can use that position to spread chaos. That’s all I really wanted.”

A shadow passed over the crack in the door, and Blair stepped down a step. “And now here you are, storming in trying to take that from me. Look, I respect the gumption, for sure, but I don’t appreciate your interference. Since you’re clearly too stubborn to back down, I guess I have no choice but to put you down for good. Come on, then.”

The door flung open, and Hermes stood at the top of the stairwell, arms spread. Blair was ready for him. “You can try. Lacuna Coil!” A chain erupted from her hand, straight at Hermes. He made no effort to move, but only smirked. Blair realized too late that, even though she was in cover from any kind of projectiles, she was by no means safe.

A hand emerged from Hermes and grabbed the chain. With a grunt, the hand pulled hard, and Blair was yanked off her feet and up the stairs.

--

Blair grew up in another family’s house.

From the time she was a child, her single mother would bring her to work, since there was nobody to look after her. Her mother was a serious woman, putting her all into her job despite being a maid, and growing up Blair would follow her, staying out of the way. From childhood, her mother was lucky enough to have steady employment at the Descartes household, which was an enormous mansion.

Early on, she met Rebecca, who was a bit older than her. Rebecca was curious about the new girl in her home; nobody else ever visited her, and she was homeschooled when she was a little kid. Rebecca wasn’t allowed to go out and play with other kids, even with other wealthy families, so the maid’s daughter soon became her only friend.

Rebecca was smart and polite and shy, and Blair had a bit of a crush on her as they got older. They were soon inseparable, and when Rebecca was allowed to attend private school, she insisted on sponsoring Blair to go as well. Blair wasn’t a good student, and she always struggled. When she confessed as much, Rebecca had this to say:

“Blair, I want you to keep coming to class so you can be with me. I don’t want to go to a school without you.”

They were inseparable. They did everything together, up to going to prom together, wearing matching suits. Eventually, Becca revealed to Blair the secrets of the world of Stand users, and once they graduated, was formally hired as Becca personal assistant and bodyguard. Her mom could finally retire in peace.

But all the while, Blair continued to harbor suspicions of her partner’s father. There was something cold and distant about the man, something that put her off. She had mentioned it to Becca, but her partner always brushed her off. He was having Becca use her Stand to find people, and Becca wasn’t sure what was happening to those people. One day, after Blair gained her on Stand, Becca came to her, as close to tears as she relayed to Blair what she had learned about the Fang family.

Blair had been vindicated, of course, but all she thought at the time was how guilty Becca felt for aiding in this. They needed to find a solution to this problem. Rebecca had been insistent on taking action. And so Blair was with her every step of the way.

--

Lacuna Coil’s hand reached out and grabbed the door frame as Blair was pulled forward, stopping her in place. “Ungh!” she grunted, her Stand straining to keep Hermes from pulling her into the room.

Hermes smirked at her. His Stand was humanoid, a mottled brown and green metallic figure with a featureless face like a hockey mask. Golden bands circled its forehead, stomach, hips, and all of its joints. Its arms and legs ended in heavy white gloves and boots. Wrapped in its right fist was the chain that ended in Blair’s left fist, pulling her in. “Hey, you’re the one who wanted to fight me. What’s wrong, getting cold feet now?” Hermes smirked. “Come here.”

Linkin Park lashed out with its free fist, smashing Lacuna Coil’s hand into the edge of the door frame. Blair felt her Stand's fingers smash under the impact and gasped in pain, before immediately losing any grip and being forced into the room. Raising her guard as soon as she staggered past Hermes and into a stop, Blair looked around, trying to orient herself in her new surroundings. This looked to be an attic, from the arched ceiling. There was another table and pair of wood chairs in the middle of the room just in front of her, and the walls were lined with crates. The window Becca had mentioned was in the wall to her right.

It’s now or never. This is my chance to take this guy down for good . “Fine, them. I’m right fucking here! Lacuna Coil!” Lacuna Coil rushed forward with a roar, fists raised to strike. Hermes simply laughed, and Linkin Park dropped the chain it was holding and interposed itself. The two Stands clashed, every strike being met with a block. They were evenly matched in raw strength, it seemed.

THUMP

One of the crates suddenly flew across the room, smashing into Blair at full force. Blair spat blood as her body was smashed into by the impact, knocking her off of her feet. “You idiot,” Hermes laughed. “You really thought I was just going to stand there and fistfight? My Linkin Park had already targeted that crate. Normally, we store drugs in those, but in a pinch, they can be used offensively.”

He continued laughing, harder, more unhinged. “My power is unbeatable, as long as I fight in my little house here. You’ve come closer than most, but we’ll chalk that up to luck. I’ll rise up in the ranks soon enough with this ability I’ve got. Hey, maybe I can take over for the boss, or at least be second-in-command. Then nobody will be able to tell me what to do!”

Blair was now flying backwards, just as one of the crates under the windows began to lift off. She was about to be crushed in between the two of them. “This has been fun, but it’s time we wrapped things up. You’re done for.”

Blair smiled, just a little. He’s done exactly what I expected. I knew he was going to try to crush me with those crates. Now he’s right where I want him to be.

Suddenly, Hermes was pulled off of his feet with a yelp, flying forward towards Blair as she was carried along.

--

Around his ankle was wrapped the chain she’d originally used against him, which he’d clearly forgotten about when she’d rushed him down. Now, he was being pulled along by Blair, a combination of being towed by the crate and her retracting the chain. Right as she was about to crash into the crate by the window, Hermes was yanked into her embrace. “Shit!” he yelled as he suddenly found himself between the two crates. With how large and heavy they were, they’d likely crush the both of them. Blair was fine with that--Becca would still get the info she needed--but Hermes clearly wasn’t, which is what she was really banking on. “Linkin Park! Release your power so I don’t get smashed!”

The crates stopped, shuddered, and abruptly fell to the ground, and with them Blair and Hermes crashed into the floor in a heap against the window. Blair sprung to her feet, still combat-ready. As Hermes stood, though, a chain appeared from the wall below the window, which Blair had just managed to touch. He was suddenly coiled up like a serpent’s prey, the chain wrapping him from head to toe, helpless.

“Dammit!” he swore. “You tricked me.”

She nodded, one hand on her knee. “Sure did. You gonna surrender now, or are you going to make me knock you down on your ass and drag you out of here?”

“Shut up! Th-this isn’t over! Come at me, bitch. Linkin-!” Lacuna Coil did not allow him to finish.

“ Adi Adi Adi Adi Adi Adi Adi! Adios, asshole! ”

Lacuna Coil smashed Hermes, trapped in the chain as he was, and with one final taunt flung him backwards. With a scream, Hermes smashed through the window and went flying, crashing to the front lawn below with a painful thud. Blair stepped over to the window and looked down. “All taken care of,” she said. Rebecca was standing next to the unconscious, bloodied, and badly bruised man, and she glanced up, adjusting her spectacles.

“ Nicely done. Alice is already on her way, so you should come down here and restrain him so we can interrogate him, and so she can tend to your wounds .”

Blair nodded. “Understood. For now though, mission accomplished.” She stepped back away from the wall and sighed. That had been much more of a pain than she’d have liked. Maybe next time, she ought to bring a little more backup, if for no other reason than to let them take the brunt of things. If Joshua and Maria were really dedicated to the cause, they’d be willing to take some licks instead of getting lunch or whatever.

Fuck’s sake. What were those two even up to, anyway?

Chapter Text

Joshua was learning that Chicago was very different from New York City. That probably shouldn’t come as a surprise, honestly.

Joshua didn’t like it. He didn’t know the area, after all, and he’d already been attacked once while he was out. Everywhere he looked could be host to an enemy. Tartarus could figure out they were there, not to mention Descartes’ men. At the very least, he wasn’t alone this time.

“Jojo, we should get food!” Maria said, tugging his arm. He rolled his eyes, and she pursed her lips. “Hey, we’re not exactly going to get the chance to come to Chicago anytime soon. We should enjoy ourselves while we’re here, at least a little!”

Given that she was the one set on helping Blair and Rebecca, it really shouldn’t be me having to keep us on track . “Come on, Maria. We have a job to do, you know. Do you remember the plan?”

Maria sighed dramatically. “I don’t! I’m too hungry, I’ve forgotten everything. I certainly don’t have the strength to fight if we need to. Maybe stopping and getting tacos from that food truck will help?” Joshua groaned. He really shouldn’t give in to this, but he had to admit, their original lead hadn’t gone anywhere, so they weren’t in much of a hurry. Also, he hadn’t eaten either.

Roughing up random members of Tartarus had seemed like a good idea at the time; he didn’t expect them to be so loyal that they’d refuse to give up any information when prompted. The other problem was that none of them actually knew about the stone. Most of them didn’t even seem to realize that anyone in their membership had ‘special powers’ like him and Maria, so they’d gotten pretty much nowhere.

Joshua should have expected as much, really. Things couldn’t just be easy like that, after all. That wouldn’t be right. Nothing could ever go so easily as just beating up some random street punks who couldn’t even fight back. No, they were almost definitely going to get into some kind of serious trouble before they made any progress.

Well, if that’s the case, I may as well eat something before that happens. We haven’t really had lunch or anything, so I guess it can’t hurt . “Fine, but we eat on the way. We have a job to do, so we’re not stopping, okay?” Joshua replied.

“Okay. To the police station, right? What are we doing there?” Maria asked.

“I’m going to have Feed the Wolf sneak in and try to recover any files on Tartarus that Rebecca doesn’t have. We can try to use that to isolate where they operate, maybe find one of their drug houses. That should help us work our way up to finding someone in leadership,” Joshua explained. Rebecca and Blair’s strategy had followed a similar train of logic, so he may as well try the same thing out and see if he got any results.

The two stopped by a food truck that seemed to have a decently large crowd and waited to place their order. Joshua remained on edge; someone in the crowd could easily be watching them, waiting for an attack. They needed to be more careful now that they were isolated. Just because it reminded him of home, with the scattered pigeons, passersby, trash in the street, and endless alleys, didn’t mean he was as safe here as he was there.

At least the taco was good. Joshua didn’t eat much street food at home because he preferred to cook for himself, but this was a pretty good lunch, and fast too. Judging from the noises Maria was making, she was enjoying hers as well. She is such a loud eater, I swear .

The sun was out, the birds were singing--well, they were pigeons--, and it was a pretty nice day, all things considered. If they were at home, Joshua might have considered going and reading in the park. Sadly, he was instead going to have to go commit what he was pretty sure was a crime of some description. Not that he cared much; it was for a good cause, and it wasn’t like they could prove it was him.

The two walked in companionable silence, just eating their food. They were a few blocks from the police precinct, so they had time to discuss any finer details of the plan if need be. Not that Joshua expected to need much planning; Feed the Wolf was invisible to others, and could easily slip in and access any records. It couldn’t ‘enter’ a computer to control it, but it could just find and use an unattended one.

“Hey, Jojo, look, there’s so many birds up there.” Maria pointed to the nearby rooftops of the buildings they were passing. She was right; a large flock of pigeons had settled on them. “Do you think they’re migrating?”

Joshua shook his head. “No, pigeons aren’t migratory. It’s probably because there’s food in the streets that they want here, because of the food trucks.” There were a few trucks parked on this street, which was a pretty wide one lined in shops. Probably people working in the office buildings nearby came to get lunch, so it made sense. And because there was food, that invariably attracted wild animals. That was how cities worked.

“Right,” Maria replied, already back to eating. Joshua shrugged and took another bite of his own food. For a moment, he could almost pretend they were back at home, without all of this Stand business to worry about. It was too late to back out now, but there was definitely a part of him that wished he’d never met Hestia and gotten dragged into all of this. I don’t want to be the one to fight to save the world. Why should that be my responsibility? Just because I’m related to this ‘Joestar’ family, does that mean I have to get involved in this ?

That seemed to be what Jotaro had implied, but Joshua didn’t know for sure. He wasn’t sure of a lot of this, really. There wasn’t much point in dwelling on it, he supposed. It was unfortunate, but he was already here and there wasn’t anything that could be done about it. He just had to deal with it and hopefully get through it without too much of an issue. If only it was that easy.

The crowd was clearing up a little bit as they went on; the lunch rush was probably ending, leaving just Joshua, Maria, a few stragglers, and the birds. It was at this point that Joshua had noticed just how many of them had settled on the awnings and roofs nearby. Not just pigeons, but crows too, and even what looked like a couple of red-tailed hawks. Even weirder, they were all just staring down at the two of them.

It was eerie. “Hey, those birds are acting kind of weird, aren’t they?” Joshua asked. He’d already finished his food, but Maria was still eating, so it took her a moment to respond. She nodded.

“Yeah, that’s a lot of birds, isn’t it,” she replied. There were so many that they were crowding the power lines, and even more birds were landing in the street beside them. None of them were making any noise, or bickering, or preening. Nothing normal birds did. They just stared.

“Something’s wrong,” Joshua said, glancing around warily. Aside from the birds, he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. But still… “Could this be a Stand attack?”

“What do you mean? Do you think all those birds are Stands?” Maria replied, stopping. Joshua stopped as well, still looking up. “They just look like normal birds to me. Maybe birds in Chicago just do this.” Joshua frowned. Maybe he was overthinking it? There’s nothing wrong with being cautious, but jumping at shadows won’t get me anywhere, either .

That moment of letting his guard down was a mistake.

With a screech, before he could react, one of the hawks took wing, and in a streak of brown feathers, dive-bombed straight at Maria’s face.

---

“ Arat! ”

Horizon appeared and launched its fist directly into the bird, sending it crashing to the street. “Dammit, I should have known. The enemy is probably controlling these birds!” Joshua snarled. Unfortunately, his idea was immediately affirmed, because every one of the birds lifted off and began circling, a dark cloud forming around the two of them. The few people in the crowd began reacting, pointing and backing away. Soon, the street was clear of anyone but Joshua and Maria. Small blessings.

“Feed the Wolf!” Joshua summoned his Stand defensively. Just in the nick of time, too; a swarm of pigeons and crows began converging on himself and Maria, forcing him to lash out with a flurry of strikes. “ Muda! Muda! Muda Muda Muda Muda! ” Turning in place to cover every angle, Feed the Wolf struck one after the other. With every blow, a bird fell to the ground, but there were so many of them. The talons of one bird scratched his face, another his arm, opening bloody gouges, and Joshua grimaced. He couldn’t afford to let them blind him if he wanted to survive. But they were in a bad spot.

Suddenly, as one of the birds dove towards his face, it crashed headfirst into a translucent barrier, falling to the ground. “Horizon.” Joshua looked around. Maria had her hands on her hips, one leg forward, and surrounding them was a large, glimmering cube, emerging from the corners of the sidewalk space they were on to the awning above them. “This should stop them for now,” she said. Joshua nodded.

“The enemy must be nearby to be controlling these things, but where?” Joshua said, raising his voice over the squeals and sounds of flapping as the cube was engulfed. “I can send Feed the Wolf to go looking. The user can’t be that far away, not if they’re able to sic these birds on us remotely.”

Joshua had spent some of the drive here talking about characteristics of Stands with Rebecca. A long-ranged Stand like his usually had relatively limited power to compensate; Maria’s Horizon was shorter range, but it could almost certainly outmatch Feed the Wolf in a brawl. Stands with long range and high power usually lost precision instead; if they could manipulate so many of these birds, and they could be so finely controlled, they couldn’t have a long range as well.

“Go for it,” Maria said. “Horizon’s barriers can last indefinitely, so we’ll be fine to wait here while you go searching.” Joshua nodded and turned. With a silent command, Feed the Wolf stepped forward and passed unrestricted through the barrier. The sooner they got moving, the better they’d--

“Ow, shit!” Joshua swore as he realized, too late, his mistake. He’d assumed that the birds were just random animals, but the moment they dive bombed onto Feed the Wolf, he realized that he was wrong. Immediately, scratches and holes appeared on Joshua’s body as the birds pecked and clawed at his Stand’s exposed flesh. A gash appeared just underneath his right eye and holes were punched into his left arm. The birds were attacking his Stand. “Feed the Wolf, get into the ground!”

His Stand complied, phasing into the sidewalk beneath itself as it disappeared. Joshua grimaced; the wounds were shallow, but they were bloody and they hurt. If they managed to puncture a vein or tear out his tongue, he could die without treatment, not to mention losing an eye or his fingers. And trapped as they were, their options were limited until they could find a way out.

“Is this a member of Tartarus?” Maria asked as Joshua pulled some spare bandages out and started patching himself up as best he could. “Do you think they already knew about us somehow?”

Joshua shook his head. “No. I think it must be someone from Descartes. I don’t think we’ve done anything here to attract this kind of attention. Whoever is attacking us was planning on it from the start, so it must be from Descartes. They’d already been pursuing us when we got here.”

“Ugh,” Maria grumbled. Joshua had to agree. This Stand had the ability to control birds to attack them, and those birds seemed to be able to attack Stands while under the effect. The squawking and screeching and scraping was making it hard to concentrate, too. Joshua was used to loud noises, living in New York City, but this was much worse.

Wait, what is that scraping sound ? It was harder to make it out over the birds’ cawing, but it sounded like it was coming from…below him? “Maria!” he exclaimed.

“ BARKBARKBARKBARKBARK”

The ground erupted in a burst of shattered pavement and maws, as a pair of huge dogs ripped a hole in the sidewalk beneath them. “Shit!” Joshua yelped, jumping back. Within moments, their safe box would become a prison, and they’d be trapped.

“ Aratatatatatat! ” Horizon rained down a series of blows, but the dogs must have also been empowered by the enemy Stand; the sidewalk was further shattered by the punches, but the dogs were only briefly driven back. “Jojo, jump!” Joshua complied instinctively, springing straight up and pulling his legs in as much as possible. Maria followed suit.

As the shrapnel from the shattered stone scattered in the air, Horizon waved its hand. A translucent barrier connected the chunks of sidewalk in midair, linking them to the edges of the cracks in the sidewalk. Joshua and Maria’s feet touched down on a smaller square with sloped sides, underneath which were the hounds, trapped. For the moment, they were safe.

Joshua sighed, brushing back his bangs. This was a stressful situation. He didn't like being boxed in and confined like this, even if it was for his own safety. “We can’t just stay here forever without doing something,” he said, leaning his back against the barrier. “I’m going to contact Rebecca. Maybe she and Blair can find the Stand user for us.”

Joshua sent her a message, but she didn’t respond after at least 30 seconds. He dialed Rebecca’s number and waited. And waited. Voicemail. He grimaced and tried again. More voicemail. “Ugh, shit,” he muttered. Maria frowned.

“They may have also run into trouble while investigating, or she could be laying low for some other reason. We could call Alice, maybe?”

Joshua shook his head. “No chance. These things would eat her alive, and I doubt she could find or fight the Stand user by herself. We’re on our own.” Ugh. This was annoying. At least when he was doing battle with Hestia and Hades, the enemy was right in front of him. Here, they were hiding in wait while their Stand did all the work. In that way, it was a similar style of fighting to Joshua’s Feed the Wolf. If this was how his enemies felt, well, he’d definitely keep doing it, but still.

Speaking of Feed the Wolf… “Oh, good, its back,” Joshua said as a truck careened down the sidewalk at high speed. It pulled up next to the sidewalk, the left mirror snapping off against the barrier as it brushed past, forcing the birds to scatter and flee. The door popped open and the truck backed up a little, the entrance to the front seat directly aligned with the barrier. Once it was clear that their position wasn’t safe, Joshua had decided to steal someone’s car. It was for a good cause, after all.

Hmph. I’d never stolen a car before coming on this trip, and now I’ve done it twice. How unfortunate. I probably shouldn’t make a habit of this, but whatever works in a fight to the death . “Alright, let’s go.”

---

A few of the birds Gaia had taken control of had been injured or killed in the process, but that was to be expected. Gaia didn’t have any issue sacrificing a few stray animals to kill her targets; that was their purpose in life. Animals were beneath humans, and thus only fit to serve humans. Her Invocation Array simply made that easier. Those kids are above animals, but below me. And I am below Descartes, who gave me my power. That’s how things should be .

A young and bony woman, Gaia had black hair in a bob and rectangular spectacles, wearing a black suit with a red tie with several cat silhouette patterns on it, and tight pants with a star pattern. She had a laptop on her desk where she was sending messages to Descartes, but there wasn’t much to say until the mission was complete, so right now she was just watching her favorite baby animal videos.

Those two kids did well to escape my attack so quickly , thought Gaia, observing from her hiding place. Luckily for me, they have no idea where I am, and they have no chance of finding me. Inevitably, the slaves to my Invocation Array will rip them to little pieces.

She sat back and laughed quietly, not attracting the attention of anyone around her. Not that she particularly cared if she did; they were all beneath her. Plus, she’d already covertly taken control of that man’s service dog over by the corner. If she needed to, she could cause that dog to rip the throat out of whoever was being a nuisance. She was untouchable.

---

“Joshua, where exactly are we going?” Maria asked as she got behind the wheel. She actually had a license, so if they got pulled over, she could handle it better. Also, Joshua hated cops and didn’t want to talk to them. “We still don’t know where the enemy Stand user is hiding. Are we just going to drive around randomly? Do we have a destination in mind?”

“Hang on, I’m thinking,” he muttered. He needed to figure out where the enemy was. There were many shops and cafès on this street, and above them were apartment buildings. They’re probably watching us directly, but what building are they in? Are they on this street, or somewhere else? When Feed the Wolf was looking for this car, it didn’t see anyone on the way. “I’m pretty sure the enemy must be somewhere nearby, but I’m not sure-”

“Crap!” Maria cried out as she swerved the car violently. The dogs from before had suddenly run out into the road, and to avoid hitting them, she’d reflexively moved into the other lane. The other lane, just as a sedan was turning around the corner. She slammed the brakes, but Feed the Wolf was controlling the car. “Jojo!”

“Feed the Wolf!” Immediately, Feed the Wolf ‘softened’ the front of the car, making it elastic and pliable. On impact, rather than crumpling or smashing the other car, the truck they’d stolen was simply squashed in like a rubber ball, safely absorbing the brunt of what would be a head-on impact. The two cars crashed to a stop, the airbags deflating. Joshua wiped his brow. That had been close.

“Oh my god!” shouted an unfamiliar voice. Joshua looked up out the window. A middle-aged, heavyset woman with her red hair in a bun had gotten out of the car and ran over, between the two cars. “I am so sorry, I didn’t see you there. Are you okay?”

Maria rolled down the window. “Yeah, we’re fine. Looks like the cars aren’t damaged too badly, so no worries.”

“Really?” she said, looking over. Sure enough, the woman’s car was unscathed, but their car had received some gashes. The drawback of making it ‘softer’ was that it was easier for sharp metal to cut. “Oh, your truck is a little scuffed up. Here, let me get my insurance.” She turned and began walking back towards her car door.

Joshua's eyes widened “Fuck, close the window!” Feed the Wolf rolled up the window just in time as a bird smashed face-first into it. Instead, its head got caught in the closing gap, and was forced to pull out after a moment. Shit, they’d caught up already. “We need to get out of here. Feed the Wolf, drive us around and leave!”

“ I can’t, her car is at an angle. I can’t drive around it ,” Feed the Wolf’s voice came on through the radio. Joshua growled under his breath. Already, more birds were swarming onto the car, pecking and snapping at the windows. The dogs were slamming into the tires, trying to shred them with their teeth. Once again, they were trapped, and the truck didn’t seem nearly as sturdy as Maria’s barriers.

“Okay, I’m sorry!” the woman said as she got out of her car walked back over. Joshua froze. Shit, she can’t afford to be there! Almost immediately, every single animal in the street turned to look at her. The woman froze, eyes going wide at the sight of dozens of birds and a small pack of wild dogs snarling at her.

“Dammit! Run!” Maria shouted, trying to open the door and jump out.

The birds swarmed the woman, and she could only scream as they came down upon her.

Chapter Text

“Feed the Wolf!”

Joshua’s Stand emerged from the truck and dove into the sedan. In the brief moments before the birds reached the bystander, her own car roared to live and drove forward. Slamming its side into the woman, it physically scooped her up and pulled her into the seat before slamming the door shut. It was a bit rough, but he was just fast enough; the birds failed to reach the woman, who was now screaming and cowering in her car as the flock smashed against her windows. The glass cracked, but held.

“Nice going, Jojo, but we can’t just leave her!” Maria said, finally getting the door open. Joshua nodded and followed suit. “Horizon!”

“Aratatatatatatat!” Horizon began pummeling the birds, knocking them out of the air. Joshua felt a bit bad that these animals probably weren’t in control of themselves, but he didn’t have much choice; it was them or him, Maria, and this innocent bystander. Joshua jumped down to the sidewalk and stood up, running over to stand next to Maria

Fortunately, the enemies immediately turned back onto the two of them. Unfortunately, that meant they were under attack once more. “Maria, can you make any more barriers?” he asked. Maria looked unsure.

“I need ‘vertices’ to connect to make my barriers. Cars don’t have as many vertices because they’re smooth and streamlined, and we’re in the middle of the street.” The flock had already descended onto them, and Horizon immediately set to punching them. Maria’s Stand was faster and stronger than Feed the Wolf, so she wasn’t having as much trouble, especially with the truck to their back. Which was good, because Joshua’s Feed the Wolf was still in the woman’s car, trying to drive it away.

God, can she stop screaming, though ? He made a face of annoyance. He understood she was scared, but having Feed the Wolf hearing her shrieking was giving him a headache on top of the bird and dog sounds. His ears were going to be ringing for a while. Master, I want to let you know something , he sensed from Feed the Wolf. She has a baby in the backseat .

Joshua groaned. Sure enough, there was a baby carseat in the back of the car, and underneath a swaddling of blankets, the baby was crying. With the barking of dogs and screeching of birds, he hadn’t noticed at first. Okay, he thought, keeping calm, that’s bad, but manageable. Once the car is out of here, we won’t have to worry about the woman or her kid. He was sweating, just a little, but they could handle this. The situation was under con-

CRUNCH

“Uh-oh,” Joshua muttered, realizing that he’d spoken too soon. Unfortunate. Distracted by the birds and the baby, he hadn’t been keeping careful enough track of the pack of dogs. In those brief moments where he’d been occupied, they’d run under the sedan. That sound of crunching wasn’t the dogs being crushed, though; it was them tearing into the drive shaft and the wheel axle. Joshua grimaced. The car could still be pushed with the draft shaft destroyed, but once the wheels were physically torn off of the sedan by razor-sharp teeth, there was no chance of that thing moving any time soon.

Then it got worse. One of the dogs emerged from the undercarriage and ripped into the drive-side door. “Shit! Muda muda muda muda!” Feed the Wolf emerged from the now-useless car and drove off the feral beast with a series of kicks, sending it flying into the wall. In the moment it was occupied, though, another dog had slipped to the passenger’s side and ripped the door off. Two more of them jumped into the car and began dragging the woman bodily from her car with a scream.

“Maria, get her!” Joshua snapped. I’ve got the birds!” Luckily, she was already on the same page as him. Feed the Wolf tagged in with Horizon, swapping places and immediately lunging forward towards the helpless woman.

“Got it! Horizon!” Horizon reached out and ripped the front bumper off of their truck and flung it. “I’ll make a barrier out of this!” The bumper flew up into the air, and as it did, Maria connected the torn ends of the bumper; the left two corners were connected to the edge of the nearby sidewalk, and the right two were linked to the exposed axles of the car. This created a strange sort of lopsided ‘pyramid’ with the bumper at the top, where the woman was safely inside and the dogs forced to release their hold to avoid being decapitated.

That was okay for now, but… “Maria, she’s got a kid in the backseat!” Joshua snapped. “I’ve got your back, go get them out of there!” Maria nodded and took off. The birds dove down at her, and the dogs snapped at her heels, but Feed the Wolf was able to deflect them, and after a moment they all turned to him. One of the dogs jumped up and sank its fangs into his arm, though, and he grunted in pain as his forearm began bleeding and Feed the Wolf had to pry the beast’s jaws off and fling it away.

Luckily, despite taking a few more scratches and bites as the animals converged on him, he bought enough space for Maria to climb into the backseat with the baby. Joshua took the opportunity and jumped into the truck and slammed the doors shut, sending his Stand back into the vehicle. The woman and her kid would be taken care of by Maria, which meant he could try to track down the Stand user.

As the ignition turned on, though, there was another sound. By this point, most of the flock and the dogs had been brought down, and the stragglers were now running away. Getting reinforcements? He didn’t know, but it wasn’t a good sign in the long run. They needed to find the user.

Unfortunately, Joshua’s worst fears were confirmed just a moment after by the distant yowling that was gradually growing louder, even over the barks and squawks.

Joshua’s eyes widened. This was not good.

200,000 stray cats lived in Chicago, and suddenly a significant number of them were gathering on the streets.

It wasn’t just cats, either, but more dogs were flanking them, and crows and pigeons had once more begun descending onto the power lines. Reinforcements were definitely here, and Joshua felt like he was staring down an army like in the movie 300 . The bystander woman was inside the pyramid, hands pressed against it, staring in terror. Maria was in the car; within a moment, she used the strength of Horizon to crumple the car. The opened doors were pressed roughly into place, creating a tin shell around herself and the still-crying baby.

The army of wild animals descended on them, claws digging chunks out of metal, teeth punching holes into the frame, beaks pecking holes into the glass. Before he could try to get the truck moving, the animals had once more begun ripping apart the wheels and diving into the engine. Dammit, there’s no way I can get this thing moving now .

Joshua summoned Feed the Wolf to try to drive them off, but for every cat he sent flying, another took its place. Soon, his Stand was forced to pull back into the truck to avoid being swarmed and ripped to pieces, and Joshua with it. Even so, there was only so much time to buy. One of the cats wormed its way through one of the little tears at the bottom of the driver-side door, and Feed the Wolf was forced to shove it out before punching the frayed hole closed. A temporary defense.

Are we trapped here? Joshua bit his lip. I’ve never encountered an enemy like this, one with so many ‘units’ to attack us with. Our Stands can only be in one place at a time. It’s such a simple form of attack, but it’s overwhelmingly powerful. Is there anything I can do to survive here? Or is it hopeless ?

---

Hmph. As expected, their weak Stands are ultimately helpless compared to me.

Gaia watched distantly from her safe vantage point. The others around her were watching as well, gazing out the window at the battle like a pack of simpletons. They didn’t know what to do, if they should call the police or not. Of course, their choices didn’t matter in this situation. They were weak.

Joshua Jordan and Maria Ella were relatively formidable, that much was clear. Yet they were weak too; rather than securing their own escape by leaving the bystander to die, they had risked themselves to save her and her mewling infant, thus ensuring their own death. For that reason, they deserve to perish here. My Invocation Array can take control of animals from a radius of several hundred meters. In a dense city like this, I am at my strongest.

Underneath the desk, hidden out of sight, was her Stand. It resembled a small black tripod with an orange and black antenna dish above it, constantly spinning. Its only weakness was that she could only control the animals’ precise targeting if she could see them; otherwise she could only give general actions, like directing them to a nearby location. Given the range and overwhelming swarm of minions she could call on, though, that was hardly a concern. Feed the Wolf and Horizon were close-ranged Stands in terms of effective area; she was untouchable.

Gaia was seated comfortably in an air-conditioned cafè on the street, with Joshua and Maria having unsuspectingly passed her by not long ago. Sitting in the corner, she had a full view out the large front windows from her seat, where she had been drinking several consecutive cups of iced tea. She could see that Joshua and Maria had trapped themselves inside of two cars; there was no way for them to run away now.

The dogs had already begun tearing into the frame of the truck that Joshua was in to drag him to his doom. He was putting up a fight, pinning himself to the ceiling and kicking them away as they pushed their heads through the gaps. Maria had created a barrier around herself, so she would be more difficult to reach, but simply killing off Joshua would be plenty.

Finally, one of the cats managed to get in and scratch Joshua across the ankle, shredding his Achilles. He yelled in pain, and was immediately left unable to move or fight back. One of the larger dogs clamped down on his injured leg and dragged him out of the truck. Gaia smiled. There was no longer a chance for him to survive. I’ve won .

As the hound went for Joshua’s throat, though, he retaliated, pulling a switchblade out from somewhere on his person and jamming it into the dog’s mouth. With how ‘empowered’ the animals were from Invocation Array’s effect, it didn’t do much harm, but it did prevent the brute from tearing Joshua’s head off.

“Jojo!” Maria yelled. As Gaia had expected, she was prepared to end her barrier and run to his aid. Joshua was in the middle of the road, nowhere near anything she could use to create a barrier; she’d have to run into close range to help with her Stand. As soon as she was exposed, the gathering flock of cats would rip her to pieces. “Use Feed the Wolf to get that thing off of you!”

“It’s okay, Maria,” Joshua said, voice distant through the glass. “I don’t care if I get chewed on a little bit. After all, these animals aren’t our enemy.” One of the dogs bit into his wrist, and he grimaced, but didn’t stop. Gaia realized that the dog whose mouth had a knife stuck in it was blocking the others from getting close. She needed it to move away so Joshua could be killed. But what he said next gave her pause.

“Our enemy is the Stand user, and I’ve already sent Feed the Wolf to take them out.”

Gaia frowned. Where was his Feed the Wolf? It wasn’t possible for Joshua to know where she was. She’d done nothing to reveal herself. Rebecca was nowhere near, or she would have intervened already. But it was true that he wasn’t using Feed the Wolf to defend himself at all. He’s making some kind of hail Mary, surely. He’s being mobbed by wild animals, he doesn’t have the time to figure out-

“Found you!”

Gaia turned to look. Joshua’s Stand had passed through the far wall, and right now, it was looking right at her as it spoke. Impossible! Gaia’s eyes widened. How could he have known I was here, of all places? And how did he recognize me? I don’t understand!

She wasn’t particularly standout in terms of appearance, but no, the Stand was definitely locked onto her. “How?!” she exclaimed, standing up. “How did you find me?”

Feed the Wolf smirked. “There are several nice cafès on this street, actually. It must be nice to live in this area. If I moved here, Joshua would probably spend his afternoons here reading and drinking coffee.”

“What?”

“I didn’t know where you were, but I deduced you had to be nearby and watching, and in a public place. So I’ve been running through the walls and shouting ‘found you’ for a while now. ” The Stand crossed its arms. “ You weren’t paying enough attention to me, clearly,”

Gaia swallowed, going pale. “So you didn’t realize where I was until…”

“Until you stood up and reacted to me shouting at you, yes. Only a Stand user can see another Stand, after all. All I needed was you to look over and respond to my shouting, and I’d know you were a Stand user. ” It bowed mockingly. “ Thank you for giving yourself away for me.”

This ingrate! Gaia snarled internally. He tricked me! He turned my ability against me and used my power as a weakness. How dare he! I’m going to rip his master’s throat out for this . “Well, you’ve made a mistake anyway.” she smiled. “You’re over there. Can you reach me before I kill your user and you cease to exist forever?” By now, the dog with the knife in its mouth had moved away, and before Joshua could crawl away, another one had pinned him face-down on the pavement. “Let’s find out!”

The beast lunged forward with its foaming mouth towards Joshua’s vulnerable skull.

---

“Sure, I’ll take that challenge. MUDA!!!” Feed the Wolf reacted immediately. It snatched up a handful of knives and forks, phased them and its arm through the glass, and flung them at high speed towards Joshua down the street.

“Maria, now!” Joshua said as the dog prepared to bite into him. Maria, still in the woman’s sedan, was ready for it. As the silverware passed over Joshua, a barrier appeared, linking the tips of the utensils as they fanned out around him, forming a rectangular barrier that boxed Joshua in. It was almost like a ‘coffin’, but it kept him alive; the dog was forced to leap back as the shape formed around Joshua, and he was left safe and sound inside.

Feed the Wolf turned and smiled mockingly at Gaia, who gulped. This is not good! My minions are too far away to protect me from here! Gaia looked behind her. She could send some of the cats that weren’t doing anything now to run to the door. If she could just get out of the building, she could potentially reach them and escape. I haven’t lost yet. There’s no way this loser can take me down!

“Invocation Array! Get those mangy mongrels over here!” Gaia made a break out the door as the cats gathered around the entombed Joshua perked up and immediately ran back towards her. His Stand is relatively slow from what I’ve seen, so I think my cats can outsprint it at a short distance. If I can only get a few more feet away, I can-

“Where are you going? ” Feed the Wolf emerged from the asphalt in front of her, causing Gaia to stagger back. Before she could escape his grasp, he reached out and grabbed her by the neck, holding her in the air. “ Running away from me is useless. Let your pack of wild animals go, or I’ll beat you within an inch of your life!”

“Guh-!” Gaia gasped, struggling in the Stand’s grip as she coughed blood from the pressure of being choked. Her Invocation Array was still under the table, not that it did her much good in a melee fight like this. She had no way to escape a strong close-ranged Stand’s grasp. But I still have one more trick up my sleeve .

“You fool!” she managed. “That cafè still has a dog inside of it! I’ve been having it lie in wait in case of just such an occasion! If you don’t let me go, I’ll have it maul its owner to death!” Sure enough, a large shepherd was lying on the ground, leash unattended on the floor. It had just yawned when it suddenly began to stand, murder in its eyes, as it turned towards its unsuspecting owner.

Feed the Wolf rolled its eyes. “Oh, please. Do you really think you can bluff or intimidate me? After all, I’ve already anticipated this attack. Take a look.” The dog bared its fangs, and as the owner looked over in alarm, it lunged…before immediately being slammed to the ground by an invisible force with a confused whimper.

“What?!” Gaia exclaimed. “How did you do that?”

“I had already altered the ‘property’ of that dog’s leash. As you can see, it’s now very sticky.” Sure enough, the leash was unmoving as the dog attempted to struggle free; it was splayed out across the floor, fastened in place like it was covered in Gorilla glue. No matter how much the shepherd struggled, it couldn’t pull itself off the ground, and was thus completely harmless.

Gaia turned to look at Feed the Wolf, eyes wide in alarm. “So, let’s just wrap things up, eh? Here, hold still.” The Stand reared back and slammed Gaia face-first into the pavement, hard enough to crack it slightly from the force of the impact.

Twitching and gasping, the woman lay on the ground, face swollen and bleeding. Feed the Wolf watched as the animals turned towards it, preparing to launch one final attack against their master’s attacker. “Muda! Muda! Muda!” Feed the Wolf grabbed Gaia by her hair and smashed her into the ground again and again, and after only a few more impacts, the woman groaned and lost consciousness.

The body of Invocation Array, still in the cafè, disappeared, and with it went Gaia’s control over the strays in the area. The animals all froze up, and after a moment, most of them scattered, with the injured ones pausing to nurse their wounds. As the animals left, Maria allowed the barriers to dissipate. The driver woman rushed over to her car and broke down in tears as Maria climbed out and handed her the baby. Joshua sat up and groaned. Well, we won, but that sucked.

Maria walked over and grabbed his hand, hoisting him to his feet. Or well, his foot, since one of his legs was pretty mangled by now. He also had bites all over his arms and claw marks in his clothes and skin. She smiled at him, and he allowed a smile back. “Like I said, we should enjoy ourselves while we can!” She said brightly. His expression fell and he rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, sure. Never know when you’re gonna get eaten alive by a pack of wild animals.” She giggled, and he sighed. “Well, hopefully everyone else is having an easier time. Can you call Alice and have her come here?” He was carefully avoiding putting weight on his injured ankle. “I don’t want to walk back to the hotel.”

Maria nodded. “Yeah, I’ll try to call Rebecca and Blair again, too.” She glanced around. A lot of the bystanders were watching with phones out. “I’ll make sure to have her erase the footage those people took, as well, just in case.” Joshua nodded.

“Good idea,” he replied, brushing his sweaty bangs back. “Hey, Maria?” he said after a moment. She looked over at him. He couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“I’m starving.”

Chapter Text

“Does it hurt?”

“No,” Joshua replied, wincing as Alice shakily touched his wounded Achilles. Luckily, like the other injuries, the pain receded to nothing as soon as she did, the wound closing and turning into a little blue bird, which she then sent through the door to land on the pavement outside. The bird popped in a shower of sparks, leaving a set of holes that looked a lot like bite marks. Because they are, I suppose. The injury isn’t really ‘healed’, just ‘transferred’ .

“That’s all of them right?” Alice asked. Joshua nodded. She smiled meekly. “That’s, uhm, I’m glad. I’m going to go check on those poor animals, okay?” Joshua nodded, and she stood up and ran out the door. The crowd had largely been dispersed by now, but a couple of the animals that had attacked were too injured to leave on their own, so Alice insisted on healing them. It’s a nice enough gesture, though I do resent them a little for biting and clawing me so much .

Joshua sighed and leaned back against the wall in his chair inside the cafè, closing his eyes. Fortunately, Alice had been able to get here on her own pretty quickly. Unfortunately, an ambulance had arrived and taken away their enemy, Gaia, before Alice had made it, making it so they couldn’t interrogate her. The good news was that Blair and Rebecca had successfully captured an enemy to question for themselves. So it wasn’t all lost.

Also, Maria had gotten him French fries and a hot sandwich. “Here, sorry that took so long,” she said, sitting down with her own food. Even though they’d just eaten tacos, the battle against a pack of stray animals had taken a lot out of him, so he was happy for more of the food. “Did Alice patch you all up?”

Joshua nodded. “Good,” Maria smiled. “You know, I know this sounds a little weird, but it was kind of nice fighting alongside you. I felt like we had a really good synergy!” Joshua shrugged, already stuffing his face with fries. He wasn’t sure he felt the same way; on one hand, they definitely worked together well and he always felt like he knew what she was thinking. On the other hand, I don’t like seeing her in danger. That was very stressful .

He’d known this was a possibility, obviously, but he wasn’t happy to be right. Ever since they’d left on their journey, the risk of being attacked by an enemy was a constant one. He’d already been targeted once in Cleveland, but that was just bad luck. Or, was it? Rebecca said that Stand users are drawn to one another, and Jotaro said that Hades might have been drawn to my ‘Joestar blood’. Was that fight inevitable? What about this one? Is there anything Maria and I could have done to avoid it ?

That didn’t sit well with Joshua, even as he bit into his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. The idea of ‘fate’ was that some things were going to happen no matter what someone did. If Joshua was ‘fated’ to fight Hades and Gaia, what other enemies was he going to encounter? Were those encounters unavoidable, even if he were to turn back and go home to his books?

Joshua didn’t like the idea of that. Not having control over the events of his life was inevitable to some extent, but still. Joshua didn’t like getting into needless conflict or problems, so the idea that he had no way to avoid them was concerning. With any luck, things would be a little more smooth from here on.

Joshua sighed and sipped his drink. For now, he was glad to just have food and not be in mortal peril.

---

Rebecca was pleased by the outcome, all things considered.

They’d been able to covertly sneak Hermes into their hotel room, where they left him bound under surveillance, though they arrived after Alice had left. After a series of slightly confused texts, it was established where everyone was, and Blair and Rebecca left to catch up with the others. Poor Blair was griping the entire way due to her various injuries.

Still, things worked out in an agreeable manner. Nobody suffered grievous harm, and we both defeated the enemies we encountered. All said, while it would be preferable that things began differently, this ending is acceptable. Soon, we will have answers, and our mission will continue . Of course, first came the need to treat Blair’s injuries.

“Alice!” Blair yelled as the two of them approached the younger girl on the street, who appeared to be tending to an injured dog that had a cut in its mouth. From what Rebecca understood, the enemy Stand user had the ability to control nearby animals into attacking their targets, and Joshua and Maria had been forced to fend off a pack of strays. “Stop messing with the damn mutt and come fix my injuries!”

“O-oh, uhm…” Alice hesitated, looking up at Blair, eyes wide. “I uh, I will in a second, I just, I’m almost done, so…” Blair scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“The stupid dog can wait, I’m way more important than it, aren't I? I had a damn table thrown at me!” Alice’s lip quivered as she glanced between the dog she was in the process of treating, and Blair. Suddenly, she doubled over, coughing and hacking violently. Alarmed, Rebecca began making her way over. When Alice lifted her head, there was blood on her chin.

“Alice, are you okay?” Rebecca asked, concerned. Alice hadn’t participated in any of the fights, so surely she wasn’t significantly injured? Could there be a new attacker around, already? Rebecca didn’t sense anyone, so that seemed unlikely.

“This uh, it just happens,” Alice said, wiping her chin. “When I get stressed. I uh, I don’t…I don’t know what to do, so…”

Rebecca nodded. It seemed that when Alice was anxious, her body began reacting negatively. Perhaps this was a side effect of her Stand. If she was an entirely insecure or fragile person, she would not be able to survive possessing a Stand, but if she was a ‘borderline’ case, it could be manifesting this way. “It’s okay. Heal the dog first, then Blair. She can wait,” she said, glancing back at Blair, who scowled and rubbed the back of her head. “I’ll get her something to eat in the meantime, that will cheer her up.”

---

Eventually, everyone was fed, healed, and gathered back at the hotel. Alice looked exhausted, having treated the wounds of many different people and animals by now. Blair looked a little calmer now that she was healed and fed, but still grumpy, as was to be expected. Blair always took a bit to cool down when things went especially awry. With Joshua, it was harder to tell. He mostly just seemed irritated, which Rebecca was coming to believe was the norm. She knew that his life had been a lonely one; was he simply embittered by isolation? It doesn’t matter, I suppose. It’s not my place to intervene in this regard, so long as he is able and willing to assist .

Maria seemed in good enough spirits, though. And then there was Hermes, still tied up and gagged. They’d taken care to lock everything loose in the room in cabinets to make sure he couldn’t activate his Stand ability, just in case, though that had been a somewhat redundant effort, given that the presence of all of them at once could easily prevent him from taking hostile action henceforth.

“Right, so you know how this is going to go," Blair said, hands on her hips, one foot on the chair Hermes was sitting on. The man looked surly and defeated, head bowed and scowling, arms and legs bound by Blair’s chains. “You received a ‘special power’ from the ‘magic rock’ that your boss has. We want that ‘magic rock’. Where did it go down?”

“Ugh, man, do we really gotta do this?” he asked, rolling his eyes. “Or what, are you gonna torture me? That the type of person you really are? ‘Cause lemme tell ya, even torture’s too low for me. I ain’t that sort of guy, so are you?”

Blair rolled her eyes and sighed. “No, we’re not going to torture you. However, the sooner you cooperate, the less problems you’ll run into. It’s still in your best interest to answer the question. Where is your boss with the stone?”

“Up your ass.”

Rebecca looked over at Joshua, who nodded. “Call Feed the Wolf,” he said, and Rebecca held up her phone to make a call.

“What are you doing?” Hermes asked. Rebecca simply held out the phone in front of him. The video screen showed Feed the Wolf, who was currently holding Joshua’s own phone and standing in the attic of the drug house that Hermes had been captured in. “Hey, what the hell? Is that your ‘power’? What’s it doing there?”

“ Setting the building on fire, ” Feed the Wolf replied casually. “ Did you know that meth is worth up to $16,000 dollars a pound? You’ve got a few pounds of it in this room, though I didn’t count. How much of a loss do you think it’ll be ?”

Hermes’ eyes widened. “H-hey, wait, you have no idea what you’re doing! If you set that shit on fire, the boss will kill me himself!” 

“So your boss is a man? Good to know,” Rebecca noted. Hermes glared at her.

Maria shrugged. “Hey, we’re the ones looking for your boss. If he comes for you, we’ll be waiting. Works out for us.” She touched her chin. “Then agaiiiiin, we may not be able to protect you if that happens! Sorry about that.”

Hermes groaned as Feed the Wolf pressed its hand into the wall, which immediately began smoldering. “C’mon, you can’t be serious. D’you have any idea how strong the boss is? He’ll fuck every single one of you up by himself, if he even comes alone. You do this, you’re all dead meat.”

Joshua rolled his eyes. “Please. I’m not scared of anyone, not you or your boss or any of his other flunkies. Just give us a damn location.”

Rebecca considered the exchange from afar. She could already tell Hermes would crack. He was not a strong-willed man, not in regards to loyalty. He was loyal to himself only, and that self-interest gave him strength. In that way, he is like Descartes. He does not care what he must sacrifice for his own benefit. How reprehensible. One should always be willing to make sacrifices for the greater good; there is no value in preserving yourself when nothing else is left .

Did the rest of the team understand that? Rebecca couldn’t be sure. She trusted Blair to grasp the needs of the mission outweighed her own, but would Joshua and Maria be willing to sacrifice themselves--or each other--when it came to it? Rebecca didn’t know. She could only hope they would make the right choices when the time came. Or, at least she also hoped that such a time would never come. I do not want to lose anyone if I can help it .

Hermes let out a pained yell before tilting his head back. “Okay, fine! Stop, don’t burn the damn building. I’ll tell you everything.”

Rebecca smiled.

---

That whole situation had been unfortunate, and Joshua was glad to be done with it. After he’d revealed the location of the warehouse, Blair had knocked Hermes unconscious again and  brought him into a nearby park. Interrogating people was a pain, and Joshua was glad they no longer had to deal with the little shit. Conflict wasn’t really his thing, and there had already been a lot of conflict here. All he was looking forward to was recovering the stone and then leaving Chicago behind.

The plan was pretty straightforward now. Hermes had revealed that a refurbished warehouse, at the edge of an industrial area and near a park, was where the boss of Tartarus, a man named Zeus, currently lived. He was apparently the type to rarely leave his home, and mostly relied on another person, someone named ‘Hera’, to deliver food and messages to him, and he only saw visitors when he was granting people Stands with the ‘magic stone’. That was their target.

The plan was a two-pronged attack. The warehouse was small, with a front entrance, a large storage area, an office on the second floor up some stairs, and a loading dock on the far side. Blair and Joshua were entering from the front entrance, while Alice, Rebecca, and Maria went in on the back. Joshua and Blair were, for once, in agreement; bringing Alice and Rebecca was a bad move. But they had insisted.

“This is a dangerous enemy, and my ability to sense them will be valuable since we’re entering their domain. Furthermore, having Alice on hand in case of grievous injuries is vital.” Rebecca had explained. “I have elected to pair us with Maria since she can most effectively use her barriers to protect us if need be. Besides, we’ll be the ones aiming for the stone, while you two engage Zeus as needed.”

I suppose she has a point. Blair and I will be making a scene at the front entrance, so that Zeus comes to fight us. He definitely has a Stand ability, so we can lure him away while the others locate and retrieve the stone. I don’t know if I like us splitting up again, but it’s the risk we have to take. Our objective is the stone, so this is our best chance at getting it .

“You should send Feed the Wolf ahead to lure him out, Joshua,” Blair said as they casually approached the warehouse, trying to not look distinctive. The car was parked on the nearby street, so once they’d retrieved the stone, they could go back and hide in the hotel until their next flight was scheduled and they traveled to their next destination. The warehouse was small and surrounded by others like it on the far side; if it weren’t for there being five of them, they didn’t stick out at all.

Joshua scoffed. “I don’t think so. Remember, while my Stand is far away from me, I’m defenseless. I’d rather we both stick with you so we can actually stay safe when things get into a fight.”

Blair jabbed a finger into his chest. “Don’t be stupid. This isn’t about ‘staying safe’. It's about defeating the enemy and reclaiming the stone.” Joshua scowled.

“If I’m dead, I won’t be retrieving a stone, now will I? There’s nothing wrong with a little self-preservation.” He knocked her hand aside. “Besides, if the enemy.attacks us, Feed the Wolf can fend him off while I go and retrieve the stone on my own. But I can’t make that decision in advance.”

Blair scowled back at him, turning to face him. “Listen, you need to be willing to put your life on the line for this. The best shot we have at getting the stone is to send Feed the Wolf to recover it. If that puts you at risk, then you should suck it up and accept that.”

Joshua scowled. “That’s stupid. If he kills me, you still won’t be able to get the stone, and you’ll be left to fight him by yourself.”

“Then I’ll take them out by myself. I don’t need your help to fight a single enemy, Joshua Jordan.” Blair leaned in towards him; she was slightly taller than he was. “If you’re too much of a coward to put yourself in danger to fight, you should just go home. That would only mean that you’re clearly unreliable.”

Ugh, she seriously thinks that? What a psycho. Getting myself killed doesn’t accomplish anything. I don’t even want to be here; she should be grateful I’m even involving myself to this degree. How dare she accuse me of being a coward! “I--”

“ You two stop that right now, ” Rebecca’s voice came through, seemingly from nowhere. Both of them froze. “ Whatever you decide is the optimal strategy, do that. But it’s useless watching you two bicker. That said, Joshua, you should be able to rely on Blair to protect you while you retrieve the stone. ”

Ugh. Of course she took her girlfriend’s side . Joshua rolled his eyes. If she thought he was a coward, he’d just have to prove her wrong. “Fine. We’ll do it your way. Go, Feed the Wolf.” Joshua’s Stand appeared, gave Blair a dirty look, and stalked forward the last couple of meters before entering the wall of the warehouse.

---

The interior of the warehouse was gray, stone and metal lined with rows and rows of shelves. It wasn’t claustrophobic, because Joshua didn’t mind enclosed spaces, but there was only a few feet between the shelves. The tall scaffolding reached the ceiling and was filled with wrapped crates, probably containing weapons or drugs if Joshua had to guess. Not that that was important right now.

What was important was the set of stairs on the wall, leading to what looked like an office type of place. That was where the target was. Feed the Wolf phased into the stairs and slid its way up them. Joshua sighed. I just want to get this over with. I haven’t seen the enemy yet, but I’m assuming they’re around. It’s just a matter of whether that keeps being the case. Unfortunately, I have a feeling it won’t .

The inside of the office was decorated like a cozy living room, with a bed, a desk with a computer, a nightstand and dresser, that sort of thing. There was someone lying in the bed with the covers over their head, snoring softly. That was presumably Zeus. That simplifies things. As long as he doesn’t wake up, I can just take the stone now and be done with it . Next to the computer was a phone, and a small silver box. If they wanted, he could take the phone and do lots of damage to the organization, but he didn’t want to push his luck. It’s not my place to act like the damn cops, anyway .

What he wanted was the box. It was a plain snuff box, and from what Rebecca had said, the stone was inside. Even Joshua could sense the Stand ‘power’ radiating from it. His Stand slowly, silently moved over to the box and reached out to pick it up.

WHOOSH

A sudden, violent gust of wind made Feed the Wolf stagger backwards, and the box was lifted into the air. As Feed the Wolf reached out to grab it, the box flew past its shoulder and onto the bed, where the man laying there had stood up. He was tall and very skinny, with short blond hair and two pigtails coming from the top of his head. He was shoeless, wearing a black bodysuit with a concentric circle pattern all over it. The box flew into his hand. “ You’re awake?! ” Feed the Wolf exclaimed.

Zeus scoffed. “I was faking it, you idiot. I knew you were coming. This stone is mine, you hear me? Fate brought it to me! It belongs to me alone!” He held his hand out and pointed at Feed the Wolf. “You won’t take my power from me! Eat this, you piece of shit. Halestorm!” Feed the Wolf suddenly felt an intense blast of wind flying at it, and reacted instinctively, diving into the floor. A deep gash appeared in the wall just above it. As soon as it disappeared, Zeus was on the move. He sprinted towards the door, his feet barely touching the ground.

“ Muda Muda Muda Muda! ” Feed the Wolf emerged outside the doorway, raining down strikes onto Zeus. Before he could land a blow, though, Zeus planted one foot and sprung into the air, out of reach. “ Wait, you can fly ?! ” Indeed, Zeus had ascended through the air and towards the roof of the warehouse. “ Dammit! ” The bastard was already out of reach and headed for the window. The only thing Feed the Wolf could do was rush to Joshua’s aid.

“Blair, the enemy can ‘fly’ with their Stand, and they have the stone.” Joshua said. “He’s on his way out, be careful.” He crouched, putting himself into a defensive posture. Feed the Wolf was on its way to him, but it was too far away to fight right now. Zeus was fast , and it wasn’t possible for him to catch up right now.

Zeus smashed through the glass window above the door and flew out into the air above them. “There you are. Lacuna Co--” Blair summoned her Stand, but she was too slow.

“HALESTORM!!!” Zeus roared, swiping his arms one after the other. After a moment, an invisible blast impacted Blair, but she managed to pull her Stand into the way, causing her to stagger and lose her balance as chains caught the impact and buckled. Joshua wasn’t so lucky; the razor-sharp unseen blade sliced into his body even as he raised his arms to defend himself. An agonizing pain bit into him, and Joshua realized too late; Fuck, I’ve made a big mistake .

Joshua was slammed to the ground, hard, landing on his side, a deep cut embedded into his chest. His severed hand landed a few feet away from him.

Chapter Text

There was kiiind of a lot of pressure on Maria right now.

Rebecca had sensed the stone on the other side of the warehouse, so it didn’t fall to Maria to recover the stone. Blair was strong, and she trusted Jojo without hesitation, so that wasn’t a big deal; she knew they could handle anything. Mostly, it was that Maria had to protect both Rebecca and Alice. That was something she couldn’t afford to mess up, and, well, at the museum, she’d failed to protect anyone but herself in the end. I won the battle, but if that kind of thing happens again, I’m not sure I can save anyone .

But like, she couldn’t afford to admit her fear. Everyone was counting on her, you know? Besides, she’d protected that innocent woman and her baby in the battle against the stray animals, so surely she’d be fine!

The way into the warehouse was easily accessible via the loading bay at the back, which Maria could easily open up with Horizon. The role of their group was just to come in from a flank position and prevent the enemy, ‘Zeus’, from escaping. As long as they could do that, they were all good. Simple enough, right?

“I sense two Stand users on the premises,” Rebecca said as Maria forcibly opened the bay door and they began walking up the ramp into the building. “One of them is near the stone, and the other is closer to us, perhaps in the shelves of the structure. We’d best be on our guard.” Maria nodded, glancing over at Alice, who looked uncertain.

“A-are we sure? M-maybe we should wait outside. Just in case,” Alice said. Rebecca frowned.

“There’s no need for that. I’m very confident in Starset’s ability to sense enemy Stand users.” She folded her arms and tapped her forehead. “Regardless, we needn’t go very far into the structure. Here is fine; I can observe the movements of the others from the security cameras located at the front of the building. Feed the Wolf is ascending the stairs towards the stone as we speak.”

Maria pursed her lips. She totally got Alice waiting outside, but she’d be alone, and that was kinda risky itself. Nah, better they all waited together, where Maria could protect them. Like, Maria could be patient when she wanted to be, but that was a difficult ask when her best friend was going into a dangerous situation. “When should we move in, if we need to?”

Rebecca considered. “Only if the enemy won’t have a chance to escape out this way. We want to prioritize cutting off an escape. Joshua and Blair can handle things in all other cases.” Maria supposed she had to go with that. So she waited, observing the area for possible uses of her Stand. She could make the stairwell into a ‘shape’ to stop the enemy from running through, for example. Oh, that was a good idea.

A minute or two passed, and Maria had charted out the entire shipping area before Rebecca suddenly stiffened. “The others are under attack. The enemy Stand user has fled out the front. Joshua is seriously injured.”

“Whaaaaat?!” Maria exclaimed. Jojo was hurt? How bad was ‘serious’? No, she couldn’t afford to panic. “What should we do? If he’s hurt, should Alice run to him to heal him?”

“That may be best. The fastest route would be through the warehouse, and the enemy in there is gone. I’m not sure where they went; they’ve left my range. We should be quick about it.” Maria nodded.

“Horizon!” Her Stand punched a hole in the door’s gap and, with a grunt pulled it open. Maria stepped through, followed shortly by Alice and Rebecca. This part of the warehouse was lined with shelves of material, and a wide, smooth stone floor. Maria ran in--

“Oh crap!”

All of a sudden, the lights had gone out. A shadow had been cast over the entire area. Maria looked back over her shoulder at the entrance to the warehouse, but behind her, all she could see was darkness.

In the distance, a voice giggled.

---

“Weeeeell, weeeeeell, look who’s decided to stumble into our little home…actually, who are you?” The voice, high and cheerful, said. “I guess it doesn’t matter. You’ve entered my domain, so now you’re just going to have to dieeeeee, I’m afraid.”

Maria had already turned around to leave, but after only a few steps, she collided with an invisible wall, wincing as she smacked face-first into the surface. It was as if the darkness was solid.

“I don’t think so,” Maria said. “I’m just here for your ‘magic rock’. I don’t want to fight you, or even hurt you.” It was true! As much as dealing drugs to vulnerable people and selling guns bothered her, she wasn’t in a position to go around tearing down a whole gang. If weakening them by taking the stone made a difference, all the better. But that was all she was here for.

Maria tried to observe her surroundings, but everything had gotten dark, like nighttime in the woods. She even tried taking out her phone to use the flashlight, but it didn’t illuminate anything. Distantly, she could still see the shelves, the sorting area, all that kind of stuff, but like, nothing else. Not even the person talking to her, though they didn’t sound far away. This must be their Stand’s power! I need to figure out where they are and take them down, before they can use it against me.

“Oooooh, you know about the stone?” the voice said curiously. Oh, right, this must be Hera, his second in command . “That’s funnyyyyyy. I’m curious about what that means. But,” she chirped, “not curious enough to spare you, especiallyyyyyyyy since you’ve got two other people hanging outside. I’ll ask the last one of you alive once I’ve killed the first two. It looks like that woman in glasses has summoned a strange ‘power’ of her own, so I’ll save heeeeeeer for last, since I bet she knows somethiiiiiiing.”

“ -ria, c- -ear m-? ” A crackling, distorted voice appeared in her ears. It sounded like Rebecca. Was she trying to use her Stand to make contact? For some reason, it seemed like it was being blocked. “ Ene- st- in -ea. -ful ”. Maria frowned. Starset’s transmissions must be getting blocked by this person’s power! Still, that means those two are safe for now. But this person means to attack them, so I have to defeat her myself!

“Alright, then. You want to take me out, then come over here and try it!” Maria summoned Horizon, who raised its fists in preparation. She couldn’t really see the enemy from here, so she just kinda had to trust in her gut to prepare to rush them down and pummel them as soon as they appeared. Maria focused, bracing herself as she slowly began to walk forward into the darkness.

There. Movement !

“Horizo--aaagh!” Maria screamed. A pair of glowing white eyes had appeared in the darkness, but as soon as she caught sight of them, razor-sharp daggers sank into her shoulder. Maria gasped in pain and whipped around. Something was digging its teeth into her. It was lanky, pale, and fleshy, with bulging white eyes, an oversized cranium, and a large maw of jagged teeth. Naked, it had overlong limbs and a stubby tail. It looked like a monster, but Maria could tell; this was a Stand!

It was also latched onto her back like a sick piggyback ride. “Crap, get off of me!” Horizon prepared to strike it as soon as the Stand dug its claws deeper into her back, but as soon as it went to punch, the shadows seemed to warp, and her fists went completely past the creature. “Huh?! What the-ow!” It raked its talons across her face, drawing blood from her cheek.

“Ohhh, did you try to punch my Celldweller? You can’t do that, I’m afraiiiiiiid,” Hera said. “You see, we’re about to play a game. I’m not going to tell you the rules of the game, though. You need to figure it out by yourseeeeeeelf! Until then, enjoyyyyyyyyy.”

Maria grimaced in pain as Celldweller dug its claws into her. “I don’t think I like this game!” she snarled, trying to pull herself forward. The Stand was totally ripping into her back, though, and it became apparent that she was going to get torn limb from limb if she tried to run all the way to the person. Shit! What can I do to get this thing off of me ? Blood spurted out of her shoulder as the Stand continued to go berserk.

“Horizon!” If she couldn’t hit it, she could at least try to separate it from her. She instead stumbled towards the nearby shelves loaded with crates. As she ducked over to them, a barrier appeared between the corners of two sides of the crate. To her relief, the weight on her body disappeared, and she found herself in silence. But then, the eyes had disappeared now, so who knew where the enemy was?

“Ouch, that hurts.” Maria had a deep set of gouges in her back and shoulders as well as a scratch on her face. Alice couldn’t help her, could she? Maria grimaced; no, she was trapped and under attack, so she had to just bear with the injuries for now. Luckily, Celldweller was stuck watching her on the other side of the barrier. If she continued down this aisle, she’d be able to reach the enemy. With their Stand trapped, they’d be helpless, and she could easily pummel them. Yeah, that should work!

“I seeeee youuuuuu~” a playful voice called out as Maria turned to venture between the shelves. The eyes had reappeared. Maria instinctively backed up to the barrier, when suddenly Celldweller shrieked. Out of the shadows, it appeared in front of her, and as though going berserk, started swiping violently at her. No way! It was on the other side of the barrier just a moment ago. Does it like, have the ability to teleport? And yet…

Something seemed off, but Maria didn’t have time to think about it. “ Aratatatatatat! ” Horizon lunged forward to retaliate with a series of strikes of its own as Maria stepped backwards through her own barrier. Celldweller, horribly, didn’t seem to be phased; the punches simply ‘passed through’ it. Even worse, that wasn’t the only thing being ‘passed through’, because the claws of the Stand simply went straight past Maria’s barrier and raked down her raised arm as she cried out in pain.

---

“What?!” she exclaimed in shock, trying in vain to defend herself. My barriers are supposed to be unbreakable! No, even more, this thing shouldn’t be able to just pass through them like nothing, right? This isn’t ‘teleportation’, this is something else. Is this part of the ‘game’ that Hera mentioned earlier? What can I do to defend myself? In desperation, Maria could only think of one thing; those unblinking white eyes must be the user, surely. If she could land a solid hit on them, maybe she could get them on the back foot.

Luckily, I’m not totally out of options here. There’s material all around me! As Celldweller continued to lash out with its talons, Horizon appeared and ducked past it. It delivered one powerful punch to the crate on the nearby shelf, ripping the plastic and causing chunks of wood to fly out at high speed towards the eyes. They were just a bit too slow; the eyes disappeared just before the shards could reach the target, clattering to the ground at the end of the aisle.

Still, the attack sort of had an effect; as soon as the eyes disappeared, so did Celldweller, the claws leaving her skin in that instant. As soon as Maria stood back up, though, the eyes reappeared, and the attack was renewed. Maria grunted in pain as talons raked her arms and shoulders. She was covered in blood by this point.

Despite that, there was a moment of clarity for Maria. She had realized something. Hera mentioned a game, didn’t she? As soon as she stopped ‘looking at’ me, the attack stopped. But now, the attack has started again. It must be that Celldweller goes ‘berserk’ and attacks me only when its master can see me! That can only mean…

“This is a game of ‘hide and seek’!” Maria exclaimed. “I have to ‘hide’ from you to avoid your Stand attacking me. Isn’t that right?” She shot a glare at Hera, who laughed lightly.

“Ooooooh, you figured out the rules so soon? That’s too baaaaaaaad. I prefer playing with my food when it doesn’t understand what’s happening. Ohhh weeeeeeell.” Hera laughed again. “Celldweller attacks you whenever I ‘find’ you in this game of hide and seek. As long as I can seeeeeee you, I can rip you to pieces!” The eyes didn’t waver as fangs sank deeper into her arm. “Buuuuut all you have to do is hit me once, and the game ends! See if you can manage that, okaaaaay?”

If that was the case, then Maria had an idea. Though slowed down by the Stand on her back, she moved, ducking behind the shelf next to her and crouching down, nestled between two crates. Sure enough, Celldweller disappeared entirely. That’s a start, but if what she’s saying is true, I need to hit her to escape from this. My Stand is a close-ranged ‘power type’ according to Rebecca, and I can’t easily attack people from afar. If all she has to do is see me, she can just like, go around the shelves until she’s on the same side as me. With how damaged my body is, I’m not sure how much more I can fight before Celldweller severs a vital nerve or something like my carotid .

There was, for the moment, no sign of Hera. It was weird; Maria really did feel like a little kid, back when her parents were together, and she lived in a small town in upstate New York. She’d play in the backyards of other kids on her street, hiding in the bushes. Now she was hiding for her life, and if the seeker found her, she’d have no choice but to attack them violently. It was kinda sad that things had come to this, you know? Couldn’t they have solved this without a fight?

Then she remembered that Jojo was badly hurt. These people were hurting others. Maria hadn’t wanted to resort to violence, but if she had to, she could do it. I won’t let them get away with hurting him, or anyone else in this city for that matter! If she’s not going to stop, I’ll kick Hera’s ass all the same as soon as I get the chance .

“Where aaaaare youuuuuu…” Hera’s voice sang out in the darkness. It sounded a little closer than before. Maria tensed up. If she got within Horizon’s range, she’d be able to land a solid hit, but like, big ‘if’. “Come out, come out, wherever you aaaaaaare…”

Maria bit back a retort. She just had to be patient and wait. And wait.

And wait.

And wait.

She was sweating, and her heart was pounding, but she didn’t move. All she could do was sit quietly, holding her breath.

There. The eyes appeared, only a few feet away. Any moment now, Celldweller would attack, but Maria would be faster. “ Aratatatatat- agh!”

Her fists landed on nothing. It was too late that she realized, as the fangs dug into her neck, that the eyes weren’t at eye height. Hera’s eyes had appeared in the ground.

She’d messed up.

In the distant darkness, a small compact mirror was laying on the ground, and Hera’s eyes were reflecting from there. “You used a mirror to find me without getting close because you didn’t know where I was!” Maria hissed. Horizon lunged forward and smashed the compact, and the attack stopped with only a little bleeding. “You’re a pretty smart gal, huh.”

“Sure am! Thanks for noticiiiiiing.” Claws raked down Maria’s arm again as the eyes appeared to the side, once again out of Maria’s reach. “You were smart to hide, but you can’t outsmart meeeeee.”

Maria grimaced. She had gashes all over her body by this point, but she wasn’t in a position to end this game. She’d have to take a little more damage to win this fight, but she still stood up and turned, enduring the pain of her skin being ripped by Celldweller. This isn’t a battle of just, like, strength, but of ‘resolve’. I need the ‘resolve’ to endure her attacks until I can find an opening! And that opening was right here.

Horizon’s fingers traced across the deepest cuts on Maria’s arm and drew itself back. As Celldweller raised its claws to slice into Maria’s head, Horizon flicked its arm out, sending splatters of blood with incredible range and precision flying across the room. They struck true; the blood landed directly in Hera’s eyes.

“Eeeeh! Ew, ew!” The eyes, and Celldweller, vanished, and Maria had her chance. She could only buy a couple of moments, but she ran, disappearing once more into the darkness. She knew exactly where to hide, and if she did this just right, with a bit of luck, she’d emerge victorious. If she failed, though, she’d probably die.

I only have one shot at this. The others need me; I can’t lose here!

---

Hera was annoyed that her game had been ruined.

She almost never got to play anymore; ever since Tartarus had made enough of a name for itself as people you didn’t want to fuck with, people stopped trying to challenge the boss, and that meant she didn’t get to feed them to her pet anymore. Celldweller was bored, and so was she. She’d been so happy when three people showed up; what fun they could have together! But now one of them was proving to be more difficult to rip apart than her previous playmates.

Even worse, her boyfriend Zeus was fighting some other people, and while she knew he’d kill all of them, she knew he didn’t like going out much. He was a shy, sweet guy who just wanted to get filthy rich off of his goods in peace. Sure he’d cracked some skulls and sliced some arms off in the process, but it was all for a good cause! The cause of making a ton of money without having to put up with any stupid rules, bosses, or laws. They were totally justified.

Who even were these five people that showed up? They said they just wanted the ‘magic rock’ but Hera didn’t believe that for a second. They were here to bring all of them down, that was for sure. There was no other explanation. How could they even know about the ‘magic rock’ if they hadn’t been looking into Tartarus before. She was furious.

And now that stupid redheaded woman had disappeared entirely! How dare she. Hera could see perfectly in the darkness of Celldweller’s power, but she couldn’t see where the bitch had gone off to with blood in her eyes. Ugh, this was annoying. I’m going to stomp on her while she dies, I think. That’s her punishment for doing this to me. Uggggggh!

Taking a moment to wipe her eyes, Hera continued, keeping her distance from the shelves and observing. She wasn’t anywhere on this side of the shelf; the ‘invisible wall’ Celldweller created was too close for her to have gone far. She must have run further into the stacks. How annoying. Hera hugged the wall, prepared to duck out of the way of any attacks if need be.

“Boo!” Hera jumped around the corner, arms spread. Nothing. The hallway was empty. Hera scowled and continued down the row. There was no sound of footsteps, so she must have stopped running. Was she hiding in the shelves again? She turned back and forth, but no sign of the redhead. Was she not here? She couldn’t have gone far with those wounds. Hera sighed and tilted her head back.

“ ARAT!!! ”

Hera realized too late that she’d made a mistake.

Maria had constructed a ‘platform’ on a higher shelf, suspending herself in midair several meters up. With her Stand pulling her up, she’d waited tensely, bleeding and sweating, until the other girl passed underneath her. At the critical moment, before Hera could look up, Maria dismissed the barrier and dropped to the ground, driving a powerful singular strike into Hera’s face, caving it in.

Hera went flying, nose broken and face smushed, crashing to the ground. Maria rose back up to her feet from her landing, hands on her hips, still bleeding. The shadows engulfing the room faded away, leaving Maria standing in the sunlight once more. She strode back over to Hera.

“Looks like I win, huh?” Maria said. Hera sat up, eyes wide. She looked to be teenaged, wearing all black clothes with black pigtails and wide brown eyes. Maria felt a little bad about this, but then she thought of how Hera had killed plenty of people before with her Stand. She’d get over it.

“ Aratatatatatatatat! ARAT!!! ” cried Horizon, pummeling Hera and sending her flying back with a cry. Crashing into the wall of the warehouse, Hera lay flat on the ground, trembling and beaten. Maria finally dropped to one knee, exhausted, just as Alice and Rebecca ran in with panicked looks.

Her ‘resolve’ won out this time, it seemed. Now, to get healed up and find Jojo.

Chapter Text

Shit! That fucking hurts !

Joshua rolled over and sat up, grimacing in pain. His hand was gone; even though it felt like he should be able to move his fingers, they were lying in the grass a ways away, a growing pool of blood under his arm. “Joshua! Are you okay?” Blair said as he regained his focus, clutching the stump. Feed the Wolf was approaching quickly, but it had just made it through the door, while Zeus was hovering smugly above them. Bastard. Even worse, his Stand was clutching its own severed wrist. The damage transfer went both ways, after all.

“Hey, I need that,” he snarled upward. Zeus shrugged comically.

“Not anymore, you don’t. Both of you are pretty much dead meat, you know. Sorry, but I can’t allow my enemies to come after this ‘magic rock’, you know? Them’s the breaks.” He raised his hand up and swept it forward as though throwing a javelin. There was no visible projectile, but Joshua could tell he was throwing an ‘attack’. Some kind of invisible blast of razor-sharp wind, it seemed. Enough to sever a limb clean off. Joshua couldn’t survive a hit like that.

Joshua reacted quickly, hooking a stone near his left foot and flinging it up into the air with a kick. He managed to get the angle right; the stone exploded, raining gravel down onto him, but causing no serious harm. Struggling a little to push himself up with only one hand, Joshua looked over at his own severed hand. His chest felt tight, and he was sweating, but he could survive. Surely, Alice could heal this ‘damage’ if he got to her. He just needed to do that. But first…

This Zeus guy had really pissed him off, cutting off his hand. He was going to have to put him down here and now. If he ran away, Zeus would disappear and surround himself with allies. Their only chance was to take him down before he could regroup with any members of the gang. “Feed the Wolf, get him!” Joshua said, walking over and picking up his hand off the ground. Shoving it into his pocket for reattaching later, he gazed upward, “Blair, bring him closer, now!”

Blair, standing nearby, was giving him a strange look. Was she annoyed at him giving orders? Probably, but he didn’t care. His hand had been lopped off, so he was allowed to be a little harsh. “Lacuna Coil!” she touched the ground, and a pair of chains rushed up and towards Zeus.

The man smirked, and simply drifted to the side. “That’s interesting. So both of you have a ‘power’ that you can use. I’m curious, but frankly, I’m just not curious enough to spare you.” The chains slammed into the empty billboard that was behind him and he crossed his arms. “I am glad you’ve decided to stay and fight me. There’s no use running, after all. I’d just chase and kill you. There’s no escaping from me, Zeus, so--”

“ MUDA!!! ”

Feed the Wolf’s fist slammed dead on into Zeus’ face, making his head snap back. “Who said anything about escaping?” Joshua retorted, one hand behind his head. “Those chains were never meant to grab you. I just needed a path for Feed the Wolf to climb up there while you were distracted. Eat this!”

“ Muda Muda Muda Muda Muda! ” Feed the Wolf rushed Zeus down, pummeling him again and again with his one good hand. But something was wrong. The blows felt like they were hitting solid rock, not flesh. Some kind of ‘invisible barrier’ was in the way. “ What?! ” Feed the Wolf exclaimed before taking a closer look. Sure enough, a thin, shimmering barrier surrounded Zeus, visible only through the tiny cracks in it. It was a sleek, skintight surface covering his body, like--“ Armor! Your Stand lets you make ‘armor’ out of the air?! ”

“It does indeed!” Zeus replied smugly. He reached out to grab Feed the Wolf by the throat, and Joshua immediately commanded his Stand to jump off, diving into the ground below and vanishing. “My Halestorm makes me invulnerable to enemy attacks! You can shoot me, punch me, even set me on fire, and nothing will happen. I’m fucking invincible!” he laughed.

Joshua growled. Man, this guy is smug about his ability, but I’m not sure it’s unjustified. He’s up there flying around where none of us can reach him. If I lack the raw power to break through his protective armor, how can I defeat him? What if he actually is invincible ?

“Blair, we should rethink this,” Joshua said. Blair looked at him, indignant. “We can’t defeat the enemy from this position. His Stand’s armor is too strong for my Feed the Wolf. I don’t know if we can defeat him by ourselves. Where are Maria and the others?” Maybe Maria’s Horizon is strong enough to pierce his armor ?

“ Under attack. Maria’s fighting. Can’t help. ” That was all he heard of Rebecca’s voice. Joshua bit his lip as he looked back up at Zeus, still hovering smugly. That wasn’t a good sign. He’d been partially banking on Alice coming to help him out with his severed hand, but if they were under attack, she probably couldn’t do anything. Plus, Maria was probably in danger, and he wouldn’t be able to help her.

This is not good .

---

“I think we should run,” Joshua said. Above them, Zeus just hovered there, laughing at them. Blair scowled.

Idiot, Blair thought to herself. “We can’t just run away from an enemy like this. He’ll only chase us down and kill us. We need to make our stand and fight here!”

Joshua had the audacity to glare at her. “For fuck’s sake. I’m not saying we give up. We need to retreat for now so we can find ourselves a better position to fight with. We need some kind of ‘resource’ to use to defeat him. Plus, we can draw him away from Maria and the others.”

Blair shook her head. What is he talking about? We need to fight him head-on. If we run, we’ll never get away, and what’s this about some kind of ‘resource’? If we’re not strong enough to beat him here, there’s nothing we can do. I’m not abandoning Becca and the others to die, either. There’s no way to just cheat at this, no easy way out. It’s do or die!

“What are you two fucking blabbering about down there?!” Zeus called, raising his hands above his head. “There’s no use trying to plan, you know. You may as well just accept your fate before I slice you to ribbons with my Halestorm’s wind blades!” With that, he swung his arms down, and even knowing it was coming, only the slightest ripple in the air gave away that an attack was coming.

Joshua ran. The blade sliced into his calf as he turned and sprinted away, but he only staggered and kept running, clutching his severed wrist. Blair scowled. What a coward. He was running away from the warehouse entirely. There was no helping it though; it didn’t matter in the end, because Blair didn’t need him. Lacuna Coil was easily able to deflect the wind blade, leaving only a mild gash on the back of her wrist.

“Hahahaha! What a loser. He’s buying himself a few minutes at most before I kill him.” Zeus sneered. “I don’t care much for honor, personally, but I bet that you do, so I guess you have that going for you. Die, and take your ‘honor’ with you to the afterlife!” With that, he sent out another pair of razor-sharp wind blasts. Blair was ready this time; she’d realized that he needed to use his hands to send attacks, and that made them vulnerable. As the blades swooshed past Blair, she held up her own hands.

“Lacuna Coil!” A pair of chains erupted from her wrists, flying up in the air towards the hovering Zeus. Sure enough, the chains latched onto each of his arms, and she could begin reeling him down to the ground.Joshua may be a coward, but I’m not backing down from any enemy, least of all this smug shithead. I’ll kick his ass, then go help the others. He’ll have no choice but to listen to me from now on.

Large, jagged chunks of shrapnel embedded themselves in her back. Blair gasped, coughing blood, and dropped to a knee. The asphalt underneath her had been sliced up by the razor wind she’d dodged, and the stone had flown up and hit her from behind. Blair grimaced. She’d underestimated his cunning, that much was clear. Fortunately, she still had him in her grasp. “Come down here, bastard!” She pulled as hard as she could, the chains tightening and yanking him down.

“Oh, gladly!” With that, Zeus ducked down and soared into Blair at high speed. Blair readied herself and called on her Stand. She’d prepared for this; she had created chains on the ground in a coil underneath her. When he reached her, they’d spring up, snare him, and choke him into unconsciousness. There was no way for him to escape once he entered Lacuna Coil’s threat range.

Sure enough, he landed, directly in front of her, and Blair smirked just a bit. “You’re right where I want you! Lacuna Coil!” The twin chains emerging from the ground rose like snakes, prepared to snare Zeus as soon as he was in range. But he simply laughed.

“That’s cute. You’re cute, you know that? But in like, a kid way, not a ‘I’d tap that’ way. Like a kid sister?” The chains converged on him. “Like the kind of kid where I take away your lollipop and your little propeller hat and watch you cry.” The chains were still on his wrists, and now another chain was on each of his legs. There was no way for him to escape. Blair ignored him, and ordered Lacuna Coil to pummel him to a pulp.

Zeus smiled a toothy grin, puckered his lips, and blew out a stream of air at her. But it wasn’t just a stream of air; Blair realized what he was doing too late. The air wasn’t just his bad breath; it was another wind blade, and it was aimed right for her face, at a close proximity of just a few inches. Shit, I have to block. But because my chains are all linked to him, I’m stuck close to him, too. I can’t move!

The blade cut deep into Blair’s face, slicing down her right eye and down the side of her face. She staggered, losing her balance as blood poured out of the wound. Zeus didn’t let up; as soon as she fell backwards, he rushed forward, instead of trying to pull away when the chains slackened.

“Eat this, you fucking bitch!” Blair could only watch as fists came down on her, hard. She tried to summon Lacuna Coil, but she’d made a fatal error; she’d pulled him as close as possible, assuming she’d outmatch him in close quarters. But the opposite is true; at both close and long range, his Stand is more powerful than mine! How am I supposed to fight him?!

The answer, simply, was that she couldn’t. Zeus knocked her to the ground and pounced on top of her, pummeling her until she was left motionless and beaten, into the dirt.

---

That was easier than expected , Zeus thought to himself. The only problem is that I was hoping she’d cry or beg more, but she didn’t. Oh, well .

Zeus grew up with nothing, like a lot of people in this part of the city. He’d been a small-time drug runner for another gang, until he came into possession of the ‘magic rock’, which gave him power and made him invincible. Now, he was wealthy and powerful, and nobody could stop him, least of all a pack of random punks from out of town. Zeus smiled. It’s good to be king .

The woman looked like shit laying on the ground, face smashed in. She was still alive, for now, but that was easily remedied. Zeus had put down a number of his rivals using his newfound ‘power’, and this would be no different. He raised his foot, preparing to stomp her head in.

His foot came down.

An armored fist slammed hard into Zeus’ helmeted face, cracking it slightly and sending him staggering, his finishing curbstomp left incomplete. He turned and raised his fists just in time for another flurry of blows.

“ WRYYYYYYYY!!! ”

The figure that had previously appeared in the room with him--the ‘power’ of that boy from before, it seemed--and was currently in the process of punching him as hard as it could. Not that it mattered; Halestorm’s ‘air armor’ was basically impervious to damage, and its strikes were hobbled by only having one fist to attack with. It was a futile effort as Zeus batted away the attacks.

The boy himself was standing a few dozen meters away, arms behind him, leaning back and scowling. “ Hey Zeus, watch my master closely, ” the ‘power’ said as it withdrew, unable to pierce his defenses. The boy held up a cell phone and casually pressed three numbers.

9

1

1

“What?! Shit!” Zeus swore. The cops didn’t know about this place, where he stored all of his goods before delivering them to the drug houses. If they raided him, he could easily stop them by himself, but things would escalate out of control quickly when he used his Halestorm to slaughter them. Would the military be called in? Who knew what could happen? He couldn’t allow this little shit to get the law onto him, or even if he killed them all, his burgeoning empire would collapse. “Hey, you’re not getting away with that, you hear me? Come here!” With that, Zeus took off, out of reach of Feed the Wolf and began flying towards him.

The boy turned on his heels, shoving the phone in his pocket. Feed the Wolf vanished, and he sprinted away.

---

Joshua was getting sick of running away from his enemies.

Hestia, Hades, now this fucking bastard, it seemed like he just couldn’t stand up to enemies that he had to face head-on. Even the stupid cats and dogs had put them on the retreat. Still, if it worked, it worked. He needed to figure out a way to get through Zeus’ armor, and in the middle of an open yard next to the warehouse, that just wasn’t an option. Furthermore, with Blair out of commission, he needed to keep her from getting executed. So, he ran further into the city.

Pretending to sic the police on Zeus seemed to do the trick, though. Now he was hovering about 20 feet in the air, following Joshua as he ran down the sidewalk.  Factories lined the streets, but there wasn’t much he could use here. It was just buildings and power lines and grassy curbs all around. Luckily, no people. The last thing he wanted was another incident like the cop in Cleveland.

“There you are!” Zeus called, swooping in front of Joshua and hovering in front of him with his arms folded. “Did you really think you were getting away from me, leaving that trail of blood behind you? Because all you’re doing is wearing your poor legs out before your long trip to the next world.” Joshua scowled. This guy is cocky, but he can actually back it up. My wrist is still bleeding pretty badly, so I’m not sure how much I can afford to exert myself, but I have to try .

“Feed the Wolf!” Joshua snarled as his Stand emerged from its hiding place; the power lines themselves. One of the lower lines suddenly snapped and lashed out, cracking like a whip as it wrapped around Zeus’ head. The line crackled with electricity and the enemy Stand user cried out as it grabbed him.

“What the--shit!” The cable swung him down, smashing him hard into the pavement. Joshua watched closely, waiting for a counterattack as he tried to force the wiring into contact with Zeus to electrocute him. Unfortunately, that damn armor was still in the way, and even the sparks weren’t getting through; it seemed to really be invincible. I need another way of cutting through than just using a power line, it looks like .

Zeus waved his hand and the line was severed by an invisible wind gust. “Really, is that the best you got? Halestorm’s armor is invincible, kid! There’s nothing you can do about it--hey, where do you think you’re going?” Joshua hadn’t bothered to listen to him keep bragging, but instead took off, leaving one last parting gift for him.

“ MUDA!!!! ”

Zeus flew backwards from the impact of Feed the Wolf’s remaining fist in his chest, but it didn’t do much to slow him down in the long run. Joshua hadn’t expected it to; he just needed to buy time for himself and his Stand to escape. He just needed a little more time, and he’d get that by running out of the industrial district and down the street. He knew roughly where he needed to go, he just needed to figure out how to get there.

Joshua kept going. He had a destination in mind; while he’d been reading about Chicago on the way here, and he’d learned about Jackson Park as a notable landmark that actually appealed to him. He liked parks, after all. This park, specifically, was close to his current location, and Joshua was feeling optimistic, for once. If I can reach this area, I may have a way to defeat Zeus’ invulnerable Stand. I just need to get there . Hopefully the few passersby weren’t going to call the cops or something on him, with how injured he was, since all he could do was keep running.

It was proving more difficult to move than he was expecting. He’d used Feed the Wolf to scavenge some fabric and wrap it tightly around the stump of his arm, which halted the bleeding for now, though it wouldn’t last. The real problem was Zeus flying above him throwing wind blasts, or occasionally dive-bombing him and forcing him to use Feed the Wolf to defend himself with its arms. Joshua could tell he was being toyed with, and as much as he hated it, he was glad. Zeus thinks he can kill me at any time. That will buy me some time, and make him underestimate me. This is unfortunate, but it works for me .

“Stop running, you little shit!” Zeus snarled as they finally reached the edge of the park. By this point, Joshua was seriously out of breath, but it looked like Zeus was running low on steam, and he was flagging as well. Like I’d hoped, using the power of flight must be draining his ‘Stand power’, and he’s running out of energy. That’s even better for me. I just need to hold out a bit longer .

---

The park was lovely, at least. Statues, a huge water fixture, it would be great to relax with a book on a shady day. Joshua looked around at the area. There was a big golden statue that looked like some kind of Greek goddess, but that wasn’t very useful to him right now, so he ignored it. Instead, he kept running.

WHAM

Joshua went flying back as Zeus slammed into the ground fist-first, sending an eruption of stone and dirt into the air. He landed hard on his back, wincing in pain and sitting up. “There you are, you bastard!” He reached out and grabbed Joshua by the shirt, holding up his fist and punching him in the face. Joshua spat blood as the nearby passersby cried out and fled. “You’re not even like, a threat. You’re just fucking annoying! Who just shows up, attacks someone, and runs away?!”

Joshua forced a grin through bloody teeth. “Me, apparently. I was just hoping to get you all tired out, that’s all. You’ve been flying up there this whole time. I figured you’d get worn out or something, and I think I was right. I bet you’re exhausted, and I can take you easily. Like this. Feed the Wolf!”

Feed the Wolf emerged from the ground behind Zeus and prepared to slam him in the back of the head, but Zeus laughed. “Oh, is that what you were thinking? That you could wear me out so I’d get weaker? Because you’re wrong. I’m doing great. I don’t need to kill you on the ground. Come on, and I’ll take you to where I reign supreme.”

Joshua grunted in alarm as Zeus violently grabbed him by the throat and took off, lifting into the air and leaving Feed the Wolf helplessly behind on the ground as they rose. “I admit that you survived for a pretty long time against me, but let’s see how you feel when I slice you into little pieces and throw your remains into the pond!”

Joshua struggled helplessly as they slowly began to rise, his feet leaving the ground. His Stand was being left on the ground, unable to do anything as his master was brought out of its range. He was totally unable to fight back in this situation.

“Dammit…is this it…?” Joshua muttered.

Zeus laughed as he brought down his fist onto Joshua’s head.

Chapter Text

“...Just kidding.” Joshua smirked. He’d only needed to lower Zeus’ guard, and it had worked perfectly.

“Guh--what?!” Zeus grunted as he lost balance in midair and began sagging forward, as through struggling to stay upright in flight. “What is this? The fuck did you do?”

“I hid a rock in my vest,” Joshua replied. Sure enough, hidden underneath the back of his vest, held in place by his belt, was a big boulder the size of a large soccer ball. “I used my Stand to make its ‘density’ lower so I could carry it. Now that you’ve picked me up, I’ve returned it to its original weight.”

“What the--dammit!” Zeus swore as they began losing altitude and he struggled to hold Joshua up. “Shit, I don’t have enough Stand power left to keep in the air with both you and a fucking rock at the same time! I need to drop you!”

Zeus loosened his grip, but Joshua had already wrapped his arms around the enemy’s shoulders in a brutal sort of embrace. “No you don’t,” he said evenly. “We’re going down together, okay?” Zeus struggled in Joshua’s grip, but despite missing a hand, he was strong, and he knew just how to grab someone so they couldn’t break free, even if they were stronger than him. I’m not letting him get loose. I know exactly how to defeat him now, and I’m not going to miss the chance. If he wins, he’ll get away, and the others will have no way to stop him !

“ Damn you !!!” They spiraled down, Zeus flailing but unable to break free, and crash-landed exactly where Joshua had calculated; into the middle of the nearby pond, splashing down violently and sinking into the depths. “ Shit, we’re in the water ,” Zeus snarled. The shimmering suit of air armor around him was now faintly visible through the murk as they sunk, Joshua still locked in an iron grip around Zeus. “ That means that I-- ”

“ You have no air left to use for your powers. You may have ‘air armor’ but it doesn’t do you any good. You could attack me with that air, I guess, but then you’re wide open, ” Feed the Wolf had emerged into the water from the bank, hovering as Joshua dragged Zeus down. The pond was deep, over ten meters down, and the rock Joshua had on him was weighing them further into the water. His hands were still firmly wrapped around Zeus, and he wasn’t letting go anytime soon.

“ You bastard! Are you trying to drown the both of us?! ” Zeus snarled. “ If so, you’re a bigger idiot than I realized. I have a suit of air around me, remember? I can use that to breathe, while you sink to the bottom as a corpse. ”

“ Are you sure about that? ” Joshua inhaled, deeply, as fresh air filled his lungs. His Stand had vanished, and around his head, a bubble of air had appeared. “ I used Feed the Wolf to ‘enter’ this water, and now it can simply extract the dissolved oxygen from the water to sustain me. I have the whole pond to keep me going. Do you really think you can outlast me? ”

“ What?! Impossible. Damn you! ” Zeus squirmed in Joshua’s grip, but Feed the Wolf was able to emerge from the water momentarily to deflect the blows. “ I’m running out of air! ”

Joshua smirked. It had been an unfortunate series of events, but he’d managed to hold out. His plan was working perfectly. Without a source of air to manipulate, Zeus was crippled, and now Joshua thought he finally had a shot to deal with this bastard. “ Good. Once you pass out from suffocation, I’ll bring you to the surface and take the-- ”

“ Just kidding, ” Zeus cut him off.

Joshua raised an eyebrow. “ Huh? What did you-- ” Joshua choked mid-sentence. Zeus had sharply inhaled, and the breath--the air--in his lungs had suddenly begun to feel tight. All of a sudden, there was a horrible sucking sensation as the wind was literally knocked out of him, bubbles pouring out of his mouth. He couldn’t breathe.

Zeus cackled, eyes wide. “ It’s a last-ditch effort, but I can manipulate the air in your lungs at this close proximity, and pull all of it out of you! I win after all! You’re going to drown down here all alone, and I’m going to go back and kill every one of your friends! ”

“ Feed…the Wolf… ” Joshua gasped, summoning his Stand once more. Feed the Wolf prepared to try to punch Zeus, preventing him from stealing Joshua’s air, but the Stand was too weakened by Joshua’s suffocation. Zeus easily deflected the blows and instead punched Feed the Wolf in the gut, causing Joshua to double over and lose even more air.

Joshua’s chest was tight, and though he tried to struggle, now it was Zeus pinning him down as they sank. He was doing everything in his power not to breathe in the water, but with no oxygen in his body, his vision was going dark. At this rate, he was going to drown. His Stand had vanished, and he didn’t have the strength to do much even if Feed the Wolf was out.

Is this it? Did I overestimate myself? It seems like I did. I’m starting to lose consciousness. Once that happens, I’m good as dead. Damn, I really messed up. The light at the surface was distant now, and hard to see.

Everything went dark.

---

No .

Joshua had thought to himself that he wasn’t strong enough. That he’d done his best, and it wasn’t good enough, and that was the end of it. The end of him. But then he thought to himself that, if he died here, Zeus would get away. His friends would lose their quest and be killed. Descartes would win. If he failed at this moment, it was all over. Right here, right now, he had to decide if he was going to give up, or keep fighting, even if he didn’t know how.

Not yet. It can’t end like this. I won’t lose here !

Zeus held Joshua tight by the shoulders, floating above him as they sank deeper into the water, a sadistic smirk on his face. Bastard . Joshua couldn’t stand it anymore. His fighting instinct took over and he opened his mouth, leaned forward, and bit down as hard as he could into Zeus’ throat.

Cold, slightly musty air filled his lungs as, rather than sinking into flesh, his mouth took in Zeus’s air armor. It was hardened, but it was still gaseous in form, and if Zeus was able to inhale it, then so could Joshua. The gangster’s eyes went wide. “ What do you think you’re doing? Get your filthy mouth off of me! ”

Joshua refused, clinging ever tighter, arms wrapped around Zeus. Feed the Wolf’s mouth extended past his own, sinking its fangs into the Stand. Of course, this wouldn’t actually win the fight on its own; if they both breathed from the same source, they’d drown at the same time. Joshua, driven by instinct and force of will rather than thought, would accept nothing less than total, crushing victory.

Feed the Wolf began to inhale, sucking in the shimmering suit of air surrounding Zeus’ body. Zeus’ eyes went wide as he drew back to punch, but Feed the Wolf caught his fists. The airflow was far greater than a human was capable of, and as Feed the Wolf breathed in, not letting up in its inhalation, air filled Joshua’s own lungs. But his goal wasn’t to regain his breath.

Soon, as Zeus struggled and wrestled with Feed the Wolf, his armor began to weaken. The thick layer around his body began getting thinner and thinner, and Feed the Wolf didn’t stop. Soon, it was barely paper-thin, and now it was Zeus gasping and struggling to breathe. “ Y-you think this is going to stop me? I-I can still kick your ass before you can- ”

“ FEEEEEED THE WOLF!!! ” Joshua’s Stand drove its fist forward as hard as it could, taking in every last bit of its remaining strength. The impact crashed into what little remained of Zeus’ armor. There was a moment of silent stillness as both of them remained motionless, suspended in the water. Feed the Wolf grimaced. Zeus smirked. The armor cracked but held.

Then it shattered.

Feed the Wolf’s fist crushed Zeus’ face, caving it in as his eyes went wide. His cheek was smashed in, and the force of the blow caused him to snap backwards. The armor disappeared, and Feed the Wolf was eager to take advantage of this fatal weakness.

“ Muda Muda Muda Muda Muda Muda Muda Muda Muda! MUDA!!! ” Feed the Wolf rained down blow after blow against Zeus, driving him further and further. With one powerful final strike, Zeus’ limp body flew out of the water and crashed down hard on the shoreline. Joshua broke through the surface a couple of moments later, flipping his soaked bangs out of his face. Breathing heavily from fatigue and exertion, he slowly made his way to land, pulling himself out of the water.

Zeus lay flat on his back, body battered and broken. From the looks of it, he was going to be out of commission for a good, long time. Perfect. Joshua crouched next to Zeus and began searching his body. As satisfying as victory was, he hadn’t forgotten the important part of the mission.

Sure enough, the Heaven Stone shard was lodged safely in one of Zeus’ pockets. Joshua picked it up and pocketed it, standing upright. He could hear sirens in the distance; they’d probably come and pick up Zeus, and at that point, without the stone, he doubted Tartarus would last much longer. 

It had been a difficult task, and he almost hadn’t made it through, but he’d survived and won. That was way too close. I need to be much more careful with myself in the future. I’m lucky I only lost a hand . In spite of that, Joshua smiled to himself. Exhausted though he was, he was happy. Turned out he was good for something after all.

Joshua turned, hand in his pocket, and began walking his way back to the warehouse, leaving his bested foe behind..

---

“You lost your goddamn hand ?!”

Alice winced. She understood Maria’s distress, but she could also tell Joshua felt really bad about it, and it probably didn’t feel too great to have her also upset with him. Ignoring that, she sat down and rested his wrist on her right knee, and his severed hand on her left knee. She looked up at Joshua, who bit his lip.

“I was…it’s…I know,” he struggled. His face was pale. “I just wasn’t careful enough, I guess.”

“Well, be careful!” Maria replied harshly. “What if you suffer a wound Alice isn’t able to heal? What then?! You’d have to live the rest of your life with it.” Joshua flinched, and Alice did as well. Not just out of sympathy, but she hadn’t wanted the reminder of her own inability right as she was about to do it.

“Hey, lay off the guy, he won the fight, didn’t he?” Blair replied from her end of the hotel room, where they’d all returned after catching up and tending to any threatening injuries. Despite her supportive tone, she looked irritated. Alice had said she was worn out after that, and needed more power to restore Joshua’s hand, so he’d reluctantly waited until now. That wasn’t entirely a lie, but it wasn’t quite the truth, either.

The truth was, she’d never ‘reattached’ something from damage, and she wasn’t entirely sure her Stand was capable of it. Her ‘Doves’ as she called it, was able to ‘remove’ damage from something by touching it, essentially reverting it to its original form by undoing the harm inflicted on it. But she’d only ever used it on cuts, cracks, and other things. She’d managed to heal the bruising some of them had suffered, by ‘removing’ the damage from the internal capillaries, but a severed hand…if the two pieces were separate, could she put them back together?

Everyone was looking at her as she placed the wrist and the hand together. Joshua must be so strong to survive all of this. I wish I had that kind of strength. But to be honest, I don’t think that I do. I’m just… Alice began coughing violently. It wasn’t a good sign; this only happened when she was struggling to use her ‘ability’. Flecks of blood appeared on the inside of her elbow.

“You good?” Maria asked. Alice nodded falsely. She had no idea what she was going to do. What if she failed? Joshua would suffer horribly and it’d be all her fault for being too weak. She’d never be able to face them again. She could already picture Maria’s anger, Joshua’s broken heart, Rebecca’s scrutiny, and Blair’s disdain. They’d want nothing to do with--

“Hey, you did it,” Blair snapped her out of it. Alice opened her eyes. Sure enough, Joshua flexed his fingers experimentally, before sighing heavily in relief. Maria sighed, too. “Get rid of that bird, though. I don’t want to lose my own hand.” Alice nodded, concealing her own exhausted sigh, and sent it into the small, now badly damaged statue which Blair had picked up from some souvenir shop. It was covered in all the injuries and marks the team had received during their two battles. As the little blue bird alighted on it, the statue’s left hand snapped off and fell, and the bird disappeared.

“With all that settled, we have successfully retrieved the stone,” Rebecca said, standing up from the bed. “I’ve already used Starset to ensure our location is undetected, so we will be safe here for the time being. I’ve made plans for us to take a flight from Chicago to Seattle, where the next stone is located.”

Joshua crossed his arms, still gazing at his newly-reattached hand. “Do we know where in the city that the second stone is located?” Rebecca shook her head.

“I need to get into closer proximity with that stone and the ones in our possession to locate it. However, once we land in Seattle, we should be able to achieve that fairly easily.” Rebecca explained. “Of course, we’ll need to make it there first, but hopefully that won’t be terribly difficult.”

Everyone nodded, but Joshua looked a little uncertain. Alice could understand. She hadn’t been exposed to much danger yet, but what little she’d faced was almost overwhelming. When Maria was engulfed by that darkness, Alice panicked and froze. She had felt helpless, paralyzed, with a deep knot in her gut.

Who knew what came next? What kind of horrible people would they be forced to do battle with? What would happen if things got worse than they already were? Sure, they had emerged victorious this time, but who could say what came next? What happened when there was an enemy so powerful she couldn’t heal what they did to her new friends? What if she failed them, and someone was permanently hurt, or worse, died? What would she do then?

“Are you okay, Alice?” Maria asked. Alice looked up at her. “You’re shaking a little. Are you nervous about the plan?”

Alice shook her head and forced a smile. “I-I’m okay! I’m just thinking. I’ve never been on a plane before, and, well, uh, my parents died on a plane, so it’s just a little bit scary to me, you know?” She chuckled weakly. Maria nodded and smiled.

“It’s okay. Planes are one of the safest ways of traveling. Chicago’s biggest airport, O’Hare International Airport, has had two flights leave every five minutes every day for decades, and they’ve only seen five crashes in all that time!”

The conversation diverged as planning began in earnest, the details of the flight and the travel, all kinds of basic logistics. Blair, Rebecca, and Maria all began working on that, but Alice couldn’t help but notice Joshua staring at her. “Oh, uh, do you…need something? Is your hand okay?”

Joshua shrugged. “Seems fine. Just noticed you seemed to be kind of, well, not doing so hot. I know this is probably extra-difficult for you.” He sighed. “I know we’re not asking you to fight, but you’re the one keeping us alive, and that’s probably just as much if not more pressure.” He cocked his head, looking at her. “I don’t want you to crack under that pressure, that’s all. Are you sure you can handle this?”

“I have to be!” Alice snapped. She winced and covered her mouth. Luckily, the others didn’t seem to notice “What would you have done without me?” she asked more softly. “You lost your hand, and Maria and Blair were badly hurt. If I wasn’t here, what would happen? You’d have been taken out of the fight, and this trip might have ended right here and now.”

Joshua shook his head. “That’s not your problem, Alice. You’re just a kid. You don’t need to be held responsible for the survival of four adults. Frankly, I still think it’s nuts that Rebecca insisted on letting us bring you along.”

“That’s not true!” Alice retorted, standing up. This time the others turned to look at her, and she immediately shied away. “I…I’ll be fine. It’s a lot to handle, but I can do this. I can!”

Joshua crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. His expression was pensive. “I guess we’ll see, then. I hope you’re right.”

---

“Hey, Boss.”

Kaya said, entering Descartes’ office with a characteristic swagger. Descartes liked that about her; she had a confident demeanor and never showed weakness. He would never employ someone for the affairs of the Stand world who had a weak will, of course. “Gaia’s out of commission. Got pummeled into the pavement, so she’ll be in the hospital for a while.”

Hmph. That was a problem for Descartes. “I expected as much,” he lied. “Hopefully, though, she’s inflicted enough damage to slow them down. Gaia was fervent, but ultimately overconfident, and her ‘power’ was weak. I knew she would fall, but she should have slowed them down.”

Kaya pursed her lips. She was a slim woman with dark brown skin, a small poof of curly black hair, and a sleeveless, low-cut black bodysuit with a silver belt and silver scarf. “That’s the thing. Rebecca’s little group also managed to retrieve the stone from the gang leader ‘Zeus’. He’s currently in police custody, and they’re dismantling his wares now.”

Descartes folded his hands. “Then we must assume Gaia failed to inflict significant damage, or someone on their team is possessed of a ‘healing’ ability. We should try to anticipate their next move to pre-empt it.” It would be careless to underestimate them. For the plan to be followed to perfection, slight deviations were inevitable, but they could not afford to be sloppy.

Kaya nodded. “I’m on it. I figured they’d take a flight, because the rest of the stones are pretty far from Chicago, and I managed to find some tickets purchased under false names.” She handed him a small set of papers. “Direct flight to Seattle, about four and a half hours of travel time. Think we can do something with that?”

Descartes smiled. This was another reason why he liked Kaya. She was originally a corporate spy he hired, but soon became one of his three most important allies. She was very useful to him, indeed. “Yes. In fact, I have an idea. We’ll ensure they never make it to Seattle in the first place.”

Kaya cocked her head. “That’s good, then. Send me the details and I’ll have people in place.” She turned and began walking away, before stopping and turning her head back. “By the way, about my pay this month, you said I’d be getting a raise soon? When can I expect that?”

Descartes nodded. There was one catch to Kaya; she was ambitious, but driven by money. It was shallow, but it made her easy to keep loyal. “Ah, yes, there’ll be another 10% increase to your salary this month. Thank you for reminding me,”

She leaned against the doorway, arms folded. “No problem. Hey, one more thing. What are you planning on doing with Rebecca and her little team, anyway? I get that they’re the enemy, but they’re kinda just a bunch of kids, aren’t they? Plus, if they’re on a plane, doing anything there might cause a whole incident.”

“They’ll likely need to be taken out of commission, but we’ll leave them alive,” he lied. Kaya’s question surprised him; he hadn’t expected her to show such weakness like that. It didn’t matter; she wasn’t ever meant to fight directly with her Stand, so as long as she did her job without hesitation, there was no problem for him. “Nothing worse than what they've done to our own agents, that’s all.”

Kaya nodded. “Sure thing. Alright, later.” she turned and walked out, leaving Descartes’ office empty. He stared down at the flight plans. He had killed someone for the first time on a plane, so that always brought back memories. On a flight, he could look down on the world and see how small and unplanned it was. He’d change all of that soon enough.

But for now, he knew exactly who he’d be sending after his daughter and her companions. They would never live to see Seattle.

Chapter Text

On the way to the airport, everyone was talking about their flight experience.

For his part, Joshua was on a plane when he was a baby, bringing him from his birth state to New York to be raised by his aunt. He didn’t remember it, obviously, so this was basically his first time. Maria had gone on vacations before visiting family, and Blair and Rebecca traveled by plane pretty often. As for Alice, well, it was her first time, too.

Joshua wasn’t sure what to make of her right now. She seemed so unsure, yet she stood up for herself whenever her presence was challenged. Whatever the case, he could tell she was doubting herself, deep down. She hadn’t been entirely convinced she could heal him, and if that was the case, they couldn’t plan around the assumption she’d always be able to do what she needed to. It was Joshua’s fault for getting reckless, assuming Alice would be able to treat him. That wasn’t fair. Not that there was much he could do about it.

The five of them had hid out in their hotel rooms for a couple of days waiting for things to blow over, and for their flight to be ready. A lot of takeout was ordered. Joshua finished all of his books, then slipped out to give them away and buy a bunch of new ones. Alice spent a lot of it drawing; she was quite good, with a cute and subdued style. Feed the Wolf had been impressed by her portrait of itself. Rebecca had attempted to use her Stand to locate the Heaven Stone, to no avail. Too far away, it seemed.

Maria had gotten bored pretty quickly. She was an active sort, and being cooped up inside constantly was driving her nuts. She went with Joshua on his book-shopping trip, which had taken the edge off, but at a certain point she was just pacing in the middle of the room. He had no idea she would get cabin fever so bad. Turns out there’s things about her even I don’t know . At some point, they resorted to sparring with their Stands, not that that went particularly well. Feed the Wolf had long range, but in a close fight, it was outmatched by a dedicated ‘power type’ like Horizon, and Joshua ended up pretty bruised by the end of their matches.

Eventually, he got sick of that, so Maria also tried sparring with Alice, teaching her some basic self-defense techniques. Joshua had been roped into helping out, which resulted in him being used as a dummy for Maria to ‘demonstrate’ on, which was unfortunate because it meant he got beaten up some more. Still, it was a good use of time, he supposed. Alice’s Stand wasn’t much good for a fight, and like Rebecca’s gun, it was better than being totally helpless. Hopefully she never had to use it. Realistically, they wouldn’t be so lucky.

Finally, the big day came where they could drive to the airport. O’Hare was one of the biggest airports in the world, moving thousands of planes every day both regionally and internationally. As soon as Joshua dragged his suitcase into the building, it was unfortunately rather familiar to him, because it was a lot like a crowded street back home. In a way, it would be comforting, were it not a pain because he hated crowds. Unfortunate. Plus, they had to arrive several hours early, so Joshua was up even earlier than he normally would be, so he was all groggy and drowsy. What a pain.

The process of getting their bags dealt with was pretty easy, since they just had all of their bags checked and they didn't have to wait in line because they had first-class tickets. Everyone gave them odd looks about it, but Joshua didn’t care if they thought it was weird for such young people to be traveling this way. The real challenge was Rebecca’s briefcase full of Heaven Stones, which she was unwilling to store in the cargo hold. That meant it had to be carry-on, which meant it had to go through the scanner.

Fortunately, Rebecca had a solution. “Starset,” she whispered as she stood in the body scanner. Her Stand’s hand extended out in front of her, and took control of the X-ray machine, and as it did, the image on the machine transformed into something innocuous, in this case a bunch of stuffed animals. The technicians scratched their heads and gave Rebecca a funny look, but still allowed her to pass.

---

“Okay, so we’re all set!” Maria said cheerfully as they all managed to depart into the waiting area. “We have a while before the flight, so should we get something to eat?” Everyone agreed to that, so they all went to what ended up being MacDonald’s to get some fast food. Joshua didn’t really like fast food, but a greasy burger was better than nothing. While everyone sat down, Maria went up to place their orders.

“Hey, Joshua,” Blair said after a long silence. He looked over at her. They hadn’t really spoken much since their battle against Zeus. He’d assumed she was just mad at him, and that was fine. He didn’t really care if she resented him for being correct. “I, well, I’m sorry you got hurt because of me.” Joshua raised an eyebrow. “You were right, we shouldn’t have tried to fight that guy head on.”

Joshua shrugged. Initially unsure of what to say, he ended up replying, “It’s okay. If we’d been on the same page, things might have gone differently.” While he didn’t really care if she resented him, there was no point in perpetuating a grudge between them. My plan was probably the best way we had to defeat what was otherwise impervious ‘air armor’, but I don’t need to rub that in her face or anything . “It all worked out, so who cares?”

Blair nodded warily. “I suppose. Next time, though, I won’t need your help, just so you know.” At that point, Maria came back down and sat next to him, setting their tray out. Joshua picked up his fries and started eating, as did everyone else. “Did you seriously only get French fries?” Blair asked. Joshua shrugged.

“I don’t like anything else.”

“Seriously? Not even the nuggets?” As if to punctuate her point, she reached over and stole one of Rebecca’s chicken nuggets. “Or the shakes? The shake machine actually works here, you know.”

Maria smirked. “Jojo doesn’t really ‘do’ food, you know? He’s kind of a picky eater. Even when he gets a regular burger from a real restaurant, he won’t let them put any vegetables on it.” Joshua scoffed.

“I just think vegetables on burgers get soggy and greasy, that’s all. Why would I want to eat that?” He glanced over at Rebecca, who had gotten a whole meal with large fries, thirty-two nuggets, and two burgers. She practically had the same as the rest of them combined. “The real question is, why are you such a fan of this crap? Didn’t you grow up rich? Shouldn’t you be used to expensive, high-quality meals made from the finest ingredients, like caviar and lamb and crap?”

Rebecca shook her head, mouth full of fries. After a moment, she swallowed. “I’ve never really enjoyed that kind of cooking, to be honest. When Blair and I were in high school, we used to go to different fast food places after school for dinner instead of going home. MacDonald’s isn’t my favorite, but I still like it.”

“Huh,” Joshua replied. He glanced over at Alice, who only seemed to have gotten a vanilla milkshake. “What about you? Is that going to be enough for the plane trip? We’re going to be on a flight for almost five hours, you know. If this is our only chance to eat, you should have something.”

“I’m…not hungry,” Alice said quietly. “I have a stomach ache. It’s the nerves, I think. I’ve never been on a plane, like I said. But I’ll be fine!” she chirped cheerily. Joshua shrugged; there was no point in pressuring her further. It would just stress her out worse.

“Okay, if you say so,” Joshua replied, continuing to eat the fries. It seemed like a good time to change the subject. Ever since the battle at the warehouse, he’d not spoken much to Rebecca or Blair, since Rebecca had been busy and Blair almost never left her side. And yet, as he tried to make small talk with them, he realized he couldn’t figure out what to say. They don’t really want to talk to me, I’m sure. It doesn’t matter, so I’ll just leave them alone .

Instead, he listened in silence while Maria and Blair, with occasional input from Rebecca, debated the pros and cons of various fast food burgers.

---

“ Here .”

Feed the Wolf appeared beside Alice and handed her a small, pink stuffed rabbit. “ You can squeeze this if you’re nervous on the plane, ” the Stand said.

Alice stared down at the small, cuddly plush. It was fashionably retro looking, with black buttons for eyes and gangly arms. “Oh, uh, wow. Thank you. Did you buy this for me?” she asked.

“ I did, ” Feed the Wolf lied. It wasn’t a big deal; things were overpriced in the airport anyway, and it was hardly the first time. “ Just don’t stress too much. Planes are incredibly safe, you know. ”

She nodded meekly. “Okay.” Feed the Wolf disappeared.

After finishing their meal, they’d decided to make their way through the airport to their gate. It was then that they all learned that O’Hare International Airport was fucking enormous . They’d been walking for over twenty minutes and they still hadn’t reached their gate, even with the moving sidewalk things, though he had to admit they were kind of fun. I hate this place. We’ve been on our feet for hours, it feels like. And there’s so many people. “Oh, hey, a dinosaur,” Blair said, pointing.

“What the-?!” Maria exclaimed. Sure enough, there was a life-sized skeleton of a long-necked dinosaur standing on one side of the walkway. “Why is that here?!”

“It was donated from the Field Museum in 1999. It’s a reconstructed Brachiosaurus ,” Rebecca said. Joshua frowned, only because he was just reminded he’d kind of wanted to go to the Field Museum once and now they were leaving. Maybe when this was all done, Rebecca would pay him for his service and he could take a trip back here. Or not.

Finally, they found their seats and sat down all in one group, holding their bags. The walk had been so long and involved so many flights of stairs and escalators that they were all a bit out of breath. Joshua had decided by this point that he hated traveling. It was exhausting and he didn’t feel like he’d accomplished something. They hadn’t even gotten onto the plane, and they’d already gone through all this? So unfortunate. Hopefully I can rest while the plane is in the air .

After a few more minutes, the boarding call went. Rebecca had gotten them first-class seats, so they could at least enjoy some increased luxury and comfort for their first flight. Joshua passed along his ticket and sat down in his seat; Maria was next to him, and insisted on him having the window since it was his first flight. Not that he cared much. Alice was sitting next to Rebecca, and Blair was in the seat behind Rebecca. Alice was clutching the stuffed rabbit he’d gotten her. That was good.

After about 10 minutes, the flight attendant stepped out and began doing a whole spiel about safety precautions and masks and stuff. Joshua just sighed and slumped a little in his seat, listening to her go on and on about it. What a pain this all was. Unfortunate.

Finally, the plane began to taxi, and Joshua began to relax. He figured he’d take a little nap for part of it before getting out one of his books. Naturally, that’s when Joshua heard Rebecca’s voice in his mind. “ I need to warn all of you. There’s an unknown Stand user on this plane .”

Joshua sat up, eyes open. “What?” he whispered. “Where? Who is it?” He was in the window seat, so he instead sent Feed the Wolf out to view the seats. Unsurprisingly, there was nothing there; everyone looked pretty ordinary.

“ I’m not sure. They’re somewhere in the passenger cabin, I think. I’m trying to pinpoint a more precise location, but since we’re all here, I need to tune out the signals I receive from you and your Stands. ”

This was bad. Being trapped on a plane when the enemy attacked was a serious situation. Could they disembark? No, it was probably too late. Plus, they’d be delayed leaving significantly, which would make them vulnerable while they were trapped here in Chicago.

“I mean, I think it’ll be okay?” Maria said. “What are they going to do, attack us while we’re in the air? They’d get themselves killed, too. And like, they might not even be an agent of Descartes. There are other Stand users in the world besides us and them, aren’t there?”

“I can solve this,” Joshua said. He commanded Feed the Wolf to stand in the middle of the aisle, and raising its voice, shout, “ We’ve already found you. Step out of your seat and put your hands in their air, and I’ll just knock you out until we get off the plane. If you don’t, I’ll fuck you up .”

This strategy had worked in revealing Gaia, but this time, nobody took the bait. Unfortunate. Joshua slumped in his seat. “Nevermind, I guess.”

“ It was a solid attempt, Joshua, ” Rebecca said. “ I’ll continue trying to scan the area, so just keep an eye out for anything strange and speak up if you spot a problem. Maria is right; we don’t actually know that they’re an enemy yet, so we had best not jump to conclusions or let our guard down. ”

Joshua sighed and stared out the window. Unfortunate. He supposed it was too much to ask that they could get any more free time before they were attacked again. Hopefully, they at least had the decency to wait until the plane had landed before they did anything stupid. Hopefully.

---

Joshua felt sick to his stomach.

The takeoff had made his gut drop into his bowels, and it hadn’t come back up yet. His ears hurt for some reason, and every time the plane shook, his whole body tensed up. He hadn’t even tried looking out the window; he’d spent the whole time with his eyes closed, tense in his chair, gripping the edges of the seat. At some point, Maria put her hand on his shoulder, which was a nice gesture. Plus, he was definitely wide awake now.

Instead of worrying about how high he was, or how enclosed the space was, or how the plane kept shifting or tilting ever so slightly, or anything stupid like that, Joshua tried to think about the enemy. Who were they? Ever since the plane had taken off, Feed the Wolf had prowled the aisle, avoiding bumping into the servers by phasing into the chairs. There were a few sleeping people, a few reading or playing video games, and most people simply sat quietly or were on their phones.

Joshua couldn’t tell if anyone in particular was suspicious. Some people seemed nervous, but he doubted an assassin would be feeling nerves in this situation. Nobody was eager, or looking particularly alert. It’s a difficult situation for sure; I can’t figure out the threat, and knowing that there’s someone here is only making me more stressed. Not that I’m going to tell anyone that I’m nervous about being on a plane.

“ I know the enemy is near the back of the plane, but I’m not sure exactly who it is. Their Stand has a long-ranged ability that isn’t closely bound to the user, either, ” Rebecca reported. “ Unfortunately, because of the radio waves that airplanes use and our collective close proximity, I’m having a little difficulty finding out any more. ”

Joshua sighed. So much for solving this easily . He sat back in his seat, feeling worn out. They’d only been in the air for about an hour, and were currently above North Dakota. What was left for him to do but wait? They had almost four hours left in the flight. The best he could hope for was to relax a little before things got bad. As they inevitably will, knowing our luck .

The plane shook again; Maria had told him that this was just ‘turbulence’ which could be caused by the movement of air around the plane from things like layers of air of different temperatures. It didn’t make him feel any better, though. The flight attendant came by and offered them food and drinks, but Joshua declined. His stomach was in too much of a knot to feel like eating much of anything. Actually, he was kind of hoping those fries didn’t come back for a repeat visit.

“Joshua, are you okay?” Maria asked as she sipped her beverage. They were too young for booze, so she’d gotten some kind of fancy soda thing. “You look pretty pale.” Joshua sighed and shook his head.

“I’m fine, just concerned that there may be an enemy on board and we don’t know about them yet. They could attack us at any moment. Who knows what kind of ‘ability’ they have? Someone needs to be on high alert, you know.”

Maria scoffed. “Rebecca’s already keeping an eye out, you know. Plus like, your Feed the Wolf is in the aisle anyway, so if anyone makes a sudden move, you can knock them unconscious easily.”

Joshua sighed as the plane trembled once more. Even more of this damn turbulence. He was getting pretty sick of it, honestly. There was nothing he could do about it really, though, so he might as well stop complaining.

Suddenly, the whole plane shook violently, enough to almost knock Joshua out of his seat. His whole body tensed up and he looked around. A couple of people had cried out in shock, and even the flight attendants looked a little concerned. One of them went over to the door to the cabin and opened it. Panicked voices could be heard from within. Joshua’s heart dropped; what could it possibly be? Surely there’s no chance of something like that , is there …?

Within moments, though, his worst fears were confirmed. There was a horribly loud crashing noise from somewhere behind him, and suddenly, the constant whirring he’d long stopped listening to had gone away, leaving a terrifying silence. Within seconds, the front of the plane began to tip forward as the plane lost speed and altitude at a rapid rate.

Joshua dug his fingers into the armrests as people began screaming and panicking. The masks dropped down from the ceiling, almost comically. One thing was clear; something bad had happened to the engines, and now the plane was crashing. It was that simple, and that terrifying.

“Shit,” Maria swore. “I didn’t think they’d actually attack us while we were in the air, let alone crash the entire plane!” Joshua’s teeth were gritted so hard he felt like they might crack. He couldn’t afford to panic now of all times, but it was hard not to. They were falling to their deaths, and there was nothing they could do about it.

People were screaming and panicking as the plane took a nosedive, plummeting out of the air at high speed. Joshua’s ears popped painfully as they fell. Alice was screaming and cowering her, and even Rebecca and Blair looked scared. “Rebecca, is this person seriously crazy enough to kill themselves just to get at us?” Joshua demanded. “Do you think they’ve got a way out of this themselves?”

“I don’t know,” Rebecca replied, voice shaky. “My father is a charismatic sort, able to inspire fanatical loyalty. It’s not impossible.” Great. Just great. Joshua was sweating heavily, but he needed to stay calm. There were dozens of passengers on this plane; even if they had a way out, they couldn’t abandon all these people to die. No, the only solution here is to stop the plane from crashing. But how can we do that? It sounds like the engines were destroyed somehow. Normally, pilots have strategies for an emergency landing. Aren’t they able to do something ?

Feed the Wolf rushed into the cabin, and it was not good. The pilots were dead; no, even worse, they had been ripped to pieces. There was a big puddle of blood on the ground, their severed arms and legs lying around the cabin, their torsos still in the seats. Joshua covered his mouth in horror. What a gruesome thing to do to someone. This person is some kind of psycho .

“We need a plan. Any ideas?” Joshua said. Maria shrugged.

“Uhhh…I can try to use my barriers to shield people from the impact?” she said, but her voice was full of uncertainty. “But the barriers will be moving so they’d just impact with the barriers, so maybe not.”

Nobody else had any ideas. Joshua took a breath. “Fine. Then it’s up to me. I’ll use my Feed the Wolf to take control of the plane and try to land it!”

This was going to be tough. He’d never controlled something as large as a plane before. He could only hope he could do it. No room for error here.

“Right then…” he thrust his hand out in front of him. “Do it, Feeeeeeed the Wolf!”

Chapter Text

This was going to take everything Joshua had.

The largest thing Joshua had ever properly tried to properly ‘control’ with his Stand was a regular car. He could ‘enter’ surfaces like building walls and floors to manipulate them, but he’d never tried anything nearly as big as the entire fuselage of an airplane. Joshua honestly wasn’t sure he could manage such a thing. But then, everyone was going to die horribly if he couldn’t, so there wasn’t much point dwelling on that possibility.

Feed the Wolf dove into the frame of the airplane. It could sense that both of the engines had been ripped to pieces, causing them to lose the ability to stay in the air. Luckily, the wings were still intact besides that, so the plane could still glide, and it had forward momentum; it wouldn’t drop like a stone. This was good for them.

Joshua knew exactly what to do. He channeled his power into the plane, forcing its ‘density’ to decrease rapidly, while also increasing its ‘friction’. It was also difficult to change two different ‘properties’ in general, let alone a full-sized passenger plane. The effect was going to have to slowly propagate through the plane, starting at the front.

“Feed…the…Wolf…” Joshua groaned through gritted teeth. Slowly, the nose of the aircraft began to fall under the effect of Joshua’s Stand. Its ‘frictiveness’ went up, its ‘density’ went down, and like a dandelion seed, the reduced weight and increase in air drag began to slow the fall. But it wasn’t quite enough, not yet.

Everyone was looking at him. Maria had placed the passengers inside of a series of boxes in their seats to keep them from falling over or panicking, but that would only be helpful in the long run if the plane didn’t crash. Joshua still couldn’t believe that someone had seriously crashed the plane they were on themselves. What kind of psychotic person would do that? Ugh, I’m never getting on a plane again. This is the most unfortunate thing ever .

They were still going down, but the effect was spreading along the fuselage. The plane began to tilt upright, just a little. Soon, the effect had reached the wings. Was it enough, though? The plane had pierced through the clouds and open, yellow-green plains were stretched out beneath them. The plane had to slow down more than it was.

Joshua kept up his power. Sweat was dripping down his face, and at some point, his nose had started bleeding from the strain. Ugh, my shirt has blood on it now. His whole body was trembling at this point as he stood in the cockpit, only a few feet away from the dismembered pilots. The sensation of his gut falling had long faded away, or maybe just been forgotten.

The entire plane was now under Joshua’s control. Were the engines working, he might be able to keep flying, at least until he ran out of ‘stand power’. But there was no physical aspect of the plane that could keep it in the air, and he definitely didn’t have the strength to make it move entirely under his own power. All he could do was slow and control the fall so they didn’t explode on impact with the ground.

With the entire plane made much lighter and its friction increased greatly, the plane’s descent was slowed, almost like a glider. With the air resistance raised considerably, the plane could no longer fall at the same speed; instead, its velocity slowed, and now, though it was still falling, it wasn’t nearly as fast. Joshua bit his lip. It’s actually working. I can hardly believe it . The hard part of this wasn’t over yet though.

The plane was still heading for the ground, and there was going to be a heavy impact even if it wasn’t catastrophic. Joshua could only brace himself against Maria’s barrier for the impact as they slowly fell. Thankfully, they were over a fairly flat plain with sparse trees, so the landing site could definitely be worse. Small comforts.

The fall was now at about the rate of a parachutist, but Joshua had no idea how heavy an impact that would be in a plane. The plane was now gliding above the surface of the ground, gradually descending before impact. His vision was starting to go dark; he’d soon black out from the strain. He just had to hold out a little bit longer. He could feel the eyes of the rest of the team on him, but he didn’t look over at them. This was on him; there was nobody else that could help him.

The plane touched ground. Many things happened in rapid succession.

There was a terrible, screaming crunch as the plane smashed into the ground.

Everything violently jerked forward. Joshua almost crashed face-first into the console.

The plane skidded forward, the weight of the impact mostly carried in its passengers at this point.

It gradually slowed, but didn’t stop. The windows had cracked. People were screaming in the distance.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the plane slowed to a stop, settling in place on the ground.

Joshua didn’t hear the cheers, because by that point he’d already crumpled to the ground.

---

“It’s okay, Alice,” Maria said, head above Joshua’s crown as he slumbered in her arms. “He’s just worn out, that’s all. It’s not a big deal if you can’t ‘repair’ that.”

Everything that had happened since the plane had ‘landed’ was exhausting, including the fact that Joshua had passed out. Maria couldn’t really blame him; after that kind of showing controlling a whole plane with his Stand, he deserved a bit of rest. Especially since it meant he wasn’t also the one who had to clean up the frickin’ mess that they were now in.

Rebecca had taken an impromptu position of authority as soon as the plane was landed, escorting the people onto the emergency exit slides along with the flight attendants. She’d made sure to quietly inform them of the deaths of the pilots, with Blair discreetly setting aside the bodies. Seeing those poor people ripped to pieces wouldn’t be good for anyone, least of all Alice.

Now that the plane was evacuated and everyone was milling about, they were pretty much in the middle of nowhere. They didn’t even have cell service here, so they just needed to wait for themselves to get picked up. Since the plane crashing was probably, you know, a big deal, and it showed up on radar and stuff, it was likely people were already on the way. That had seemed good to Maria, but Rebecca had made a worrying point.

“The enemy is still here,” Rebecca said as the four of them gathered a few meters away from the general crowd. The shock had mostly subdued the bystanders, who were understandably quite shaken by the near-death experience. Some were crying or rocking or hugging each other. Honestly, Maria was kind of surprised by how well she was taking it all. Then again, she’d known Joshua would save them, so the threat hadn’t been as intense to her. Also she’d been in life threatening situations before, which kinda helped.

“I’m able to sense their position now. They’re one of the individuals among that crowd,” Rebecca said, pointing over at the collection of people standing over by the plane. “One of them is definitely a Stand user, and I suspect their power is destructive in nature, as well as being long-ranged.”

“That’d make sense,” Maria replied. “They did destroy the engine and the two pilots while not being near either.” The engines had been dismantled, and completely ripped off of the plane somehow. There was no way for it to have been done without an enemy Stand user involved. Maria sighed. She was still holding Joshua, who was completely out cold. He’d probably be unconscious for a while before regaining the ‘mental energy’ to wake up, from what Rebecca said.

Blair frowned, crossing her arms. “Well, we probably can’t ignore them. If we do, they’ll just attack us again. And if we wait until the rescue arrives, they’ll be able to slip away and come back after us later on. I say we deal with them now while we have the chance.” Maria frowned. I get why she’s saying that, but…

“We don’t actually know who it is, right?” Maria replied, putting her knuckle on her cheek. “We can’t really beat up everyone on the plane, and if we walk over and start attacking the wrong person, we could expose ourselves to danger, right?”

Rebecca nodded. “She makes a good point. We don’t want to act preemptively without further information. I would need to get closer to exactly pinpoint their location, but that would put me at risk of attack.” She considered the situation.

“What if I go over?” Alice asked. The others all looked over at her. “I bet they don’t know who I am if even Descartes doesn’t know about me. I may be able to figure things out, or just distract them for a little bit.”

Maria frowned. “That’s awfully risky, Alice. Are you sure you want to do something like that?” Alice nodded resolutely. She seemed set on this, and Maria had to admit, it wasn’t a bad call. Part of the benefit of Alice’s presence was that the enemy was unaware of her existence. Taking advantage of that was smart, right? “Alright…”

“I’m going to try to see if anyone is being suspicious, and then I’ll question them. I think I can try to trick them into revealing themselves, and then I can defeat them,” Alice said. She opened her bag and took out her sketchpad, before ripping one of the pages. “By turning this ‘damage’ into a ‘bird’, I can attack them by causing the bird to touch them. This will inflict a gash on them which should knock them out.”

Maria nodded cautiously . It’s good that Alice is stepping up, since like the rest of us can’t do much . Maria had no ‘shapes’ to make in an open area, and both Rebecca and Blair were too recognizable if they got close. But our original plan was to keep Alice out of danger, so is it really right to leave this to her ?

Maria stared down at Joshua’s still-unconscious face. If he were awake, he’d surely oppose this plan. She respected Joshua’s opinion, obviously, and she knew he was worried about Alice, despite his harshness towards her. He was a caring person deep down, after all. Was it right to deny him a say in this situation? Maria didn’t know. But time was of the essence; if they delayed too much, they’d be attacked.

Ugh . “Okay, but be careful, and come back at the first sign of trouble, okay?” Maria said. Rebecca and Blair both gave their affirmation as well, Rebecca looking deep in thought. Alice nodded, and turned to walk over to where the majority of passengers had gathered. Hopefully, this would all work out.

---

Alice felt awful.

All these poor people had just experienced such a terrible, traumatic incident, and it was their fault. If only they hadn’t gotten onto that plane, nobody would have been in danger. The two pilots were even killed. Alice had wanted to try healing them, but Rebecca hadn’t let her. “Once a person’s soul leaves their body forever, they can’t be brought back by a Stand’s power. Even if you repair the body, they’ll simply be an empty shell.” I feel so useless. What can I do to help ?

That’s why she volunteered to put herself at risk. She was a little afraid, but it was more important that she take action. Joshua had risked his life saving everyone; surely she could take a much more minor risk simply to gather information. And if I’m actually able to defeat the enemy…well, I don’t think that’ll happen, but everyone would be amazed if I did .

The majority of people standing around the plane looked shell-shocked. They must have been so scared, but Alice couldn’t do anything. Joshua already saved them, but if the ‘enemy’ attacks, they may be put into more danger. Alice was pretty sure that if she could deduce someone who wasn’t as scared, or was faking it, she could identify the enemy. After all, they’d known the plane was going to crash; surely they wouldn’t be frightened by it happening?

Alice slowly approached across the field, hands folded behind her back, eyes alert for any signs of unusual behavior. One young woman was cradling her crying toddler, a middle-aged couple was slumped against each other, eyes hollow, a flight attendant weeping into her hands. Alice grimaced, but kept going, navigating the crowd of deeply distressed people. There was nothing she could do, unfortunately.

There. Alice looked out across the area, and she spotted someone. It was a young man, a few years older than her, and looked to be Korean-American, with light brown skin and medium-length dirty blond hair. He was wearing a tiger-striped jacket with orange pants and a black scarf. Most notably, unlike everyone else, his posture was casual. He was slumped, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his phone. His lips were curled in a slight frown, but it looked more like one of irritation. No, not even; it was the kind of look she made when she was having difficulty with a certain feature in one of her drawings.

He didn’t have the same sense of fear or distress or despair as everyone else. He seemed oddly calm, and that was suspicious. Alice slowly began to approach him, holding her sketchbook tight to her chest, but he didn’t  seem to notice. “Excuse me, uhm. Is, uh, something wrong?” Alice asked. “Besides, you know, the thing that happened, I mean.”

The young man looked over at her. He was much taller than her, even taller than Blair, the tallest among them. “Well, the plane crashing is pretty bad, but honestly I’m such a heavy sleeper that I missed it. Nah, I’m good. Just a pain that there’s no cell signal, you know?” He shrugged. “Kinda boring out here, so I was hoping to find something to do while we wait, but whatever.”

Alice frowned. How odd, for someone to feel bored in this situation. Was he just the type of person who was addicted to social media? He also mentioned he slept through the plane crash, which was even crazier to try to imagine. Could this be their ‘enemy’ who killed the pilots and crashed the plane? It was possible.

“D-did you really sleep through the plane crash?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “That’s kind of hard to believe.” She folded her arms, trying to look intimidating.

He laughed. “Hah, yeah, I stayed up all last night playing mobile games and fell asleep as soon as I sat down. The next thing I knew, the impact with the ground woke me right up.” He looked back down at his phone for a moment before pocketing it. “Say, how old are you? Shouldn’t you be with your parents or something? Why are you asking me if I need help?”

“I-I’m old enough to fly by myself, and besides, I’m with some friends!” Alice retorted. “I just thought it was strange that you were standing over here so calmly, like nothing had happened. It’s, uh, it’s kind of suspicious, isn’t it? That this situation isn’t freaking you out?” The young man gave her an odd look.

“Suspicious? Do you think I, I don’t know, knew this would happen somehow? That’s a little extreme, don’t you think?” He shrugged. “Going off and accusing people of terrorist actions is a little irresponsible, kid. After all, you don’t seem that freaked out about this situation either, if you’re coming over here asking me about it. Maybe you’re just trying to pin the blame on me?”

“Wha-!” Alice exclaimed, surprised. “That’s absurd! How would I have done such a thing?” He cocked his head.

“Good question. How do you think I would have done such a thing? I’m just a regular dude. I travel a lot for my job, so I’m used to being on planes, so I set myself up to sleep through it. What do you think you’re doing bothering me about this? Go back to your friends or whatever, unless you have some kind of problem with me.”

With that, he turned away and went back to fiddling his phone.

---

Alice glowered. Not only was he demeaning her, but his harsh defensiveness was only more suspicious. This must be the ‘enemy’, and he’s trying to blow me off to avoid confrontation or giving himself away! I’m still not 100% sure, but I think I’m on the right track . Alice opened the sketchpad and ‘removed’ the damage to one of its pages. She stepped in front of the man and held up the bird in front of him. “Excuse me, could you take a look at this?”

The man sighed and lowered his phone. “What is it now?” He looked down at her, holding the bird in cupped hands. “What the heck is that? Some kind of origami? Why are you showing me this?”

Perfect, that was what she needed to hear. Only Stand users could see her bird creations, which proved that this man was a Stand user. The fact that he can see this confirms that he is the enemy! I’ve found him ! “I knew it. You are the one who took down the plane,” Alice said. “Take this! Doves!” She held up her hand, preparing to throw the bird into his face. The wound wouldn’t be fatal, but it’d incapacitate him, and they’d be safe from further attack.

The man’s eyes narrowed. “You’re wrong,” he said. “I don’t know what brought down that plane. I assume that you have the same kind of ‘ability’ as me from the looks of it.” Alice hesitated for a moment. “The attacker must also have an ability, and somehow, you figured out that I have one, and now you think that I’m the attacker, is that right?”

He leaned in a little. “If you’re planning on using that bird to attack me, I should warn you against it. I’m not going to attack you, but if you try and cause that bird to attack me, it won’t work. For your own safety, I just wouldn’t do it.”

Alice grimaced. She was definitely sweating and feeling nervous. This guy seemed confident. She wasn’t much of a fighter in the first place, and now she had to make a choice. Did she stand up to this guy, or back down? If she backed down, he’d probably get away. Was she willing to let that happen? This guy had tried to kill everyone on that plane, and he’d murdered two innocent pilots in the process. No, I won’t let him get away. I won’t be cowed by his threats !

“You’re not getting away!” Alice thrust her hands out towards him, forcing the bird directly at his face. The damage would be transferred, and she and everyone else would be safe.

But the bird didn’t leave her hands. She frowned. It just sat in her palms, unmoving. The man raised an eyebrow. “I told you, it wouldn’t be good to attack me. I’m only acting in self-defense. You should just walk away now and leave me be. Go find our attacker somewhere else, because it’s not me.”

Why wasn’t the bird moving? It was just sitting there. Alice was breathing heavily. Her Stand wasn’t working correctly! Was this his ‘attack’? Had he somehow fixed the bird into her hand? How? She couldn’t get him this way! Wait, it’s even worse, isn’t it? I’m still touching the bird now that I activated it. Doesn’t that mean… ?

Her power flickered, and the bird sank into Alice’s palm. She’d accidentally lost control of her When Doves Cry, and now… I’ve transferred the damage to myself! Alice screamed in pain as a long, deep gash sliced into her left shoulder, all the way down her torso, nearly to her hip. Blood spurted from her wound, and she collapsed to her knees.

The last thing Alice heard before losing consciousness was them saying, voice tinged with alarm, “Oh, that’s not good.”

Chapter Text

“Alice!” Maria cried as the girl collapsed, spurting blood. “Shit, I knew it, we shouldn’t have let her go on her own.” There was no time to beat herself up, or think about how if only Jojo was awake, he wouldn’t have let this happen. Setting Jojo’s body down, she immediately took off in a sprint towards Alice’s body and the man nearby. I am going to beat the ever-loving shit out of that bastard for hurting her !

“Maria, wait!” Rebecca said. Maria didn’t actually wait, but as she ran forward, a chain wrapped itself around her arm and she staggered backwards, off-balance. She whipped around to glare at Blair and Rebecca. Their faces were softer than expected. “Don’t react recklessly just yet. Observe the situation before you escalate it.”

‘Observe’? Alice was in danger, and Rebecca was telling her to observe ?! “Are you kidding me?! Alice is under attack, we need to defend her from that guy before he kills her!” She fixed her gaze on the man. She was out of range right now; could she use her Stand to throw a rock? It was precise enough that it could easily catch thrown objects, she’d learned from her practice with Jojo, so maybe she could throw something effectively as well.

And yet, Maria hesitated, for just a moment. The face of their enemy, the man standing over Alice’s collapsed form, was that of alarm, or surprise. As though he didn’t expect this to have happened somehow. As Maria watched and the crowd began to disperse, people reacting in alarm to Alice’s collapse, she heard him call out, “Shit, this kid is hurt! Do we have a doctor on hand?!”

Maria set Horizon to untangle Blair’s chain, but that definitely threw her off. The expression on the man’s face was controlled and measured, but the set of his jaw, the sweat on his brow…he was not faking it. This guy seemed genuinely surprised at Alice becoming hurt. But why would that be? He was fully intent on crashing the entire plane, with all of them on it. What would make him balk at one person’s injury like this?

She turned and glanced over her shoulder. “Rebecca, what are you talking about? He’s not attacking Alice now , sure, but he still just took her down. He’s an enemy, isn’t he?” She turned back. Alice was laying on the ground, several meters away, with the man kneeling above her, brow furrowed. Once the chain was untied, Maria couldn’t help but keep running towards them. Blair didn’t try to restrain her again.

“ Look closely, Maria ,” Rebecca replied mentally as Maria got too far away. “ The wound Alice suffered is a vertical gash along her left shoulder. That’s exactly the type of wound that she was trying to inflict with her ‘Dove’. He didn’t actually attack her, the Stand ‘transferred’ the damage onto herself. ”

Maria grimaced. Okay, that was definitely possible, yeah. It did look like that was the injury Alice had received. “So what?” she replied, continuing to walk closer. “That just means he somehow deflected the attack onto her.”

“ Would he be reacting like that if she was his ‘enemy’, though? I don’t believe he would. ” Rebecca sighed. “ I think we may legitimately be mistaken. He is indeed a Stand user, I can tell that much, but he may not have the correct power to be the enemy we’re after. ” Ugh, this was difficult. Maria didn’t like what Rebecca was proposing, because it made the situation way more complicated and way more dangerous. If the enemy isn’t this man, who is it, and where are they that Rebecca couldn’t sense them? And worse, how do we deal with this guy, now that we’ve dragged him into it? She wasn’t much for planning stuff; in all of her previous fights, she’d just jumped in because she’d had no choice. Now things were harder.

“Should I just go talk to him, then? What am I supposed to do?” Maria demanded, tapping her foot anxiously. This sucked.

“ I think so. Go and retrieve Alice. Her wound isn’t so serious that she shouldn’t be able to recover on her own. ”

Maria sighed and took off in as quick a run as she could, elbowing her way past the bystanders who had crowded Alice. With a helpful little bit of pushing from Horizon, she managed to make it over to the guy. “Hey, what’s the big idea, you bastard?!” she demanded. The man looked over at her, eyebrow raised.

“What are you talking about? Are you this kid’s friend or something?” Maria scowled. She didn’t like anything about this guy, but she was going to have to trust Rebecca.

“Yeah, I am. We thought you were the one who brought down the plane, and now she’s hurt.” Maria crouched down to carefully lift Alice off of the ground. “What’s the deal, huh? Are you our enemy, or what?”

“Ugh, this again?” The man put a hand on his head, looking exasperated. “No, I didn’t try to crash the plane. Like I told your friend here, I was asleep the whole time. After the crash, I was over here trying to get cell service when suddenly your friend came over to question me. She didn’t seem to accept that I had nothing to do with it, so she tried to attack me.”

That didn’t sound like Alice, honestly. Maria frowned. “But you’re definitely a Stand user. You have a special ‘ability’, don’t you? And you used it on her!” Maria summoned Horizon and brandished its fists, prepared to strike this guy at the slightest provocation. His eyes widened and he stepped back a little.

“Maria, calm down,” Rebecca said, appearing behind her, before raising her voice. “It’s okay, everyone! I’m a doctor. This girl just suffered a minor laceration. She’ll be fine, but I’ll take her over for a checkup just in case. Please, give us some space.” The crowd seemed to have dispersed a little, thankfully. “I was monitoring the situation with my Starset, and he’s not lying. Alice attacked first, and he told her not to before responding.”

Maria scoffed. “Are you serious? Well, what didn’t you say that before?! How was I supposed to know that?” She scowled at the man, who just kinda sighed, looking annoyed. Honestly, Maria was just frustrated. Jojo was out of commission, Alice was hurt, and she didn’t even know who to target. That all just kinda pissed her off.

“Look, is your friend okay? That should probably come first, shouldn’t it?” the guy asked. His expression seemed to have relaxed a little bit.  “My name is Ethan Equis. You’re right, I do have an ability, but like I keep saying, I didn’t attack the plane. Why don’t we sit down and actually talk this out instead of bickering?”

Maria sighed. “Fine. Let’s do that.” Together, still carrying Alice, they moved back away from the plane on their own.

---

Once they gathered together and sat down at a safe distance from the other passengers, Rebecca had time to be irritated with herself.

Why didn’t I communicate more clearly there? I should have been more direct in telling Maria that Ethan wasn’t a threat, but I wasn’t, and things escalated because of my carelessness . It was just like with Joshua, back in Cleveland. Once again, it had caused someone to react badly because they lacked information.

For a good turn, Alice’s injuries were, as expected, minor, and she would recover on her own easily enough and be able to heal herself the rest of the way. Maria was giving a death glare to Ethan the entire time, but Rebecca was able to explain the gist of the situation to him without too much issue. He seemed to consider it fairly easily, nodding along and not needing to ask too many questions. That was the hope, at least. Finally, by the time Alice had woken up, she’d finished summarizing the nature of Stands, and provided a basic overview of their battle with Descartes, including their pursuit of the stones for Their stand-augmenting properties. I don’t want to freely share details about the Heaven Stone, but he is involved now. If it stops him from being recruited by Descartes at a later time, all the better .

Ethan nodded. He hadn’t looked at Maria all this time, presumably avoiding her scrutinous gaze. “My ‘ability’, or Stand as you called it, is called ‘Dark Before Dawn’. To be honest, I’m not sure I should reveal it or its powers to you, but it shouldn’t be a threat to any of you.” An understandable response, if ultimately futile. Rebecca’s Starset had already allowed her, over the course of their conversation, to analyze him.

Dark Before Dawn had a long range but low power, and its ability manipulated motion or actions in some way. Exactly what it did still wasn’t clear, but Rebecca was confident that he was being honest in saying it wasn’t a threat. If she had to make a deduction, rather than attack Alice directly, it had somehow prevented Alice from releasing her Stand’s effect, and she had taken the backlash as a result.

Regardless, the situation was clear to her now. “Ethan is not our enemy. Stand users are naturally drawn to one another, so it’s possible that he happened to be on this plane by sheer coincidence. However, this raises some other concerns.”

Blair hadn’t said much the entire time; Rebecca knew that she had been very disturbed by the plane crash. Despite all of her strength, she was rattled, and when Blair was put off she tended not to be as upfront as normal. It was only now that she spoke. “Who is our enemy, if not him? You only sensed one other Stand user on the plane. Is it possible that our foe isn’t on the plane at all, and attacked us remotely?”

Rebecca shook her head. “No. The destructive power required to break up the plane engines and dismantle the pilots is too high to be usable at such an extreme range. Even Joshua’s Feed the Wolf, which has one of the longest effective ranges I know of, is only capable of acting within two hundred meters of its user. Thousands of feet up in a plane, nobody would have the Stand potency to attack us from the ground with such precise and potent destruction.”

“So that means the enemy is on the plane, but hidden somehow, right?” Ethan suggested. Rebecca nodded. It seemed he’d picked up on things quickly enough. Privately, she wondered how much he truly knew about Stands. Was he a recently awakened Stand user, unknown to her father? It was a question for later. “So they’re still around and dangerous, then. That seems bad.”

“It sure is,” Maria said. Her gaze had turned to Alice, who was staring down at the dirt. She’d already healed her wound and transferred it to a nearby stone, splitting it down the middle. “Rebecca, how would someone go about hiding themselves from Starset? Is it possible that their ability hides them from detection?”

It was a question Rebecca had been asking herself for several minutes now. “I don’t know,” she conceded. “My Starset’s sensory ability has limited range when not able to use existing surveillance to scan, so it’s possible that they’ve hidden themselves in the cargo hold? There’s no electronics in there for me to use, and since we were at the front of the plane in first class, they may have hidden in the rear cargo hold just out of my most effective range.”

“So we should check there, right?” Maria said. “We have no time to lose! We don’t know how the enemy is able to attack yet, so we need to make sure they don’t find a way to kill anyone else before we stop them.”

“Plus, rescue is on the way, isn’t it?” Ethan noted, crossing his arms. “That complicates matters, I assume.”

“Indeed,” Rebecca said. “I’m going to go and get closer to the plane to scan it for an enemy. If they hid in a special compartment somehow, I doubt they evacuated with everyone else. That would mean they’re still on the plane, hidden from sight. If I can locate them, we can take them out and prevent further damage.”

“I’ll go, then,” Blair said. “You three stay here and monitor the situation to make sure we aren’t ambushed.” Rebecca nodded and was about to stand up when Ethan spoke.

“I’m going to investigate, too,” he said, rising to his feet and leaning back, hands on his hips. “I’m pretty sure your two friends don’t want me around anyway, and I’ve been bored out of my mind waiting. I’d rather get some action.”

A bit of an odd request, but the final arrangement didn’t matter particularly much. It was true that Alice and Maria were likely to be disquieted by his presence, so having him at her side seemed more harmonious. Nobody else objected. “That’s fine, then. Stay behind me and Blair and focus on observing in case of an attack.”

With the plan set, there was not much for it but to engage. Rebecca, Blair, and Ethan strode off towards the airplane.

---

The plane had obviously been evacuated, and the cargo hold was not yet emptied. Rebecca was glad she’d brought her briefcase with her onto the plane and left it in the care of Maria; losing the Stone would be disastrous. A small comfort, but a comfort nonetheless.

The rear cargo was at the back of the plane, and Rebecca, Ethan, and Blair made their way over to it without too much issue. Opening the latch of the aft cargo hold on the right hand side of the airplane, Rebecca gazed into the interior, scrutinizing. It was dark, understandably, and filled with carefully stacked suitcases and other pieces of luggage, secured by netting.

Summoning Starset, Rebecca closed her eyes and concentrated. When she used her Stand, she could perceive a large area around her almost like a radar field, with ‘blips’ representing Stand users. Maria and Alice were outside of her range, but she could clearly see the blips of Blair and Ethan standing next to her. However…

“I still can’t sense the enemy Stand user in here,” Rebecca admitted, crossing her arms. “It’s very strange. Perhaps they’re using some kind of material to conceal themselves?” Some molecularly dense materials like lead can block radiation, preventing particle waves from passing through them. Stands are manifestations of psychic energy, but my Stand uses electronics to facilitate its sensory ability. Is it possible that Descartes has devised a similar means of countering my Starset ?

Wait. Rebecca blinked her eyes open. There was a slight ‘blip’ on her senses, but it was faded and blurry, difficult to perceive. Yet it was definitely there, inside the cargo hold. She’d have never managed to sense it from afar. And yet, despite that, she wasn’t quite able to determine where they were in the hold.

“Hey, Becca,” Blair said. “I know you’re using your ability to try to locate them, but, well, there’s nobody in here.” Rebecca looked over at her partner, raising an eyebrow. “Look. It’s only luggage inside.”

“I must disagree,” Rebecca replied. “My Stand has already detected someone inside of this cargo hold. They must be hiding inside one of the pieces of luggage. I just need to get a little closer.” She stepped forward, but Blair grabbed her by the shoulder.

“No way. You think the enemy is in there, but you’re going to go inside? Absolutely not. If the enemy really is present, then I should be the one investigating.”

Rebecca put her other hand on Blair’s. “I understand your concern, but we don’t yet know how the enemy attacks. With my ‘sensory’ ability, I can anticipate their location, but if you go in there, you’ll surely be ambushed. It’s better for me to investigate and for you to remain at a distance so that you can defend me, or pull me out with a chain if I am attacked.”

“You know, she’s got a point,” Ethan said. He was standing a few feet from the two of them, arms crossed. “If you’re so worried about her safety, why not put yourself in a position where you can best protect her? That seems much easier than putting yourself in danger. Don’t you think she’d be worried about you as well?”

Blair turned around and jabbed a finger in his face. “Shut it. You don’t know anything about this.” She glowered. “You’re not even a part of our group or anything, you just happened to be here. Don’t go butting in like your opinion matters.” Ethan held up his hands in a surrendering gesture.

“Hey, like I said, I’m just along for the ride, here.” He shrugged. ”If you want to be the one risking yourself, be my guest.” Blair scowled. Rebecca sighed. She understood why Blair was feeling protective in this situation, but it wasn’t contributing to actually solving the problem. Rebecca was correct in putting herself in danger in order to solve this mystery.

“If you want, Blair, we could go and retrieve Alice to make sure that we have her healing ability on hand in case of any incident.” Blair sighed, and nodded.

“Fine.” Blair said, beginning to walk around the airplane. Rebecca folded her arms and continued to scan the interior. She could definitely ‘sense’ that there was someone in there, but the ‘blip’ on her ‘radar’ was muddled. It seemed to be dispersed; was the person somehow camouflaging themselves against her ability as well as hiding from her eyes? It was possible they had hidden themselves inside of a suitcase, lined with special material.

Suddenly, Revecca spotted something. One of the suitcases, a high-quality brown leather one, was lying on its side, wedged in with the others, and on the handle was an unusual symbol. Rebecca considered for a moment. There was a ‘mark’ on the handle that looked a bit like a criss-cross of lines. Other pieces of luggage had various logos, tags, and marks on them, but this looked like it was burned into the surface.

How strange. Is it just a coincidence, or could that mark mean something? Rebecca focused, trying to hone her ability to scan the brown leather suitcase in particular. As she suspected, Stand power was radiating out from the mark, ever so subtly, but it was definitely still there. “Ethan,” she said quietly, pointing at the suitcase. “I believe our enemy is in that suitcase.”

“Are you sure?” Ethan replied, frowning. “It’s awfully small to fit a fully grown human, isn’t it? Do you think our enemy is a kid or something?” He made a good point. The suitcase was only about 30 inches by 20 inches, which would be very difficult to contain an entire person’s body. And yet, this feeling was unmistakable. She couldn’t detect any Stand power coming from the inside of the suitcase, but that could easily be explained. Perhaps the ‘symbol’ is somehow blocking my Starset’s scanning ability!

“I’m going to go check,” she said, climbing up into the cargo hold.

“Are you sure? Blair’s not back yet, and my Stand isn’t really that good at directly fighting. Maybe we should wait.” Rebecca paused. He was certainly correct about that. It was irresponsible to get so hasty, even if she was concerned about the enemy making another attack on someone if they took too long to respond. A couple of moments wouldn’t be overly detrimental, would it?

Suddenly, just as Rebecca was about to climb down from the cargo hold, there was a distinct slicing noise. She turned to look in the directions of the sound, and her eyes widened. The handle of the suitcase had been severed as though sliced off by a sharp blade, disconnecting from the head of the suitcase with enough force to send it flying. In fact, it had so much force that it had started flying directly at Rebecca, who’s eyes widened.

I was wrong. The symbol isn’t what’s deflecting my ability, it was a trap meant to attack anyone that approached, and I fell for it !

The handle bounced off of her chest, and as soon as it did, the symbol flashed with red light. Rebecca gasped as a sharp pain passed through her sternum and began flowing through the rest of her body. Red lines began appearing, first on her neck, then her shoulders, elbows, hip, and knees. Even her finger joints were lit up in red, and they burned.

Rebecca had realized too late what had happened, and she was going to pay the ultimate price. This is how their attack works! Blood was beginning to seep from the lines on her body. By placing these ‘marks’ on things, they can dismantle them! They caused the engines to be broken into pieces by marking them in advance, and they also probably trapped the inside of the cockpit to do the same to the pilots on contact. And now, because I’ve touched it, my body is going to fall apart as well !

In just a brief moment of carelessness, Rebecca had made a fatal error. Blood spurted from every corner of her body as she began to fly apart.

Chapter Text

“Ugh, seriously?”

Ethan stepped up to the side of Rebecca and sighed. “Honestly, what would you do without me in this situation? Here, I’ll use my Dark Before Dawn.”

A figure appeared behind Ethan, a humanoid with a similarly slight build to his own. It had orange skin and was wearing an open, black sleeveless jacket and black leather pants. It wore a long, red sash around its waist as well. Its most notable feature was its head, which resembled a fox’s head with a pointed snout. The Stand reached out and touched Rebecca on the shoulder.

As she writhed and grimaced in pain while her body came apart, Rebecca suddenly felt relief. The pain was still there, but it was numbed, and distant. Most importantly, the bleeding from the opening slashes in her body had slowed to a crawl. For a brief moment, it appeared that the enemy’s power was no longer progressing on her, even if some damage had been done.

“I’ve got good news and bad news,” Ethan said, expression more stoic and serious than before. “My Stand ability allows me to ‘delay’ effects. In this case, I’ve delayed you being diced into little pieces like a potato being chopped up for clam chowder.” He was frowning. “But it’s only a temporary reprieve. If we can’t find a way to stop the damage, it will begin again, and I’m pretty sure you’ll die.”

Rebecca nodded, breathing heavily. That had been a near-fatal mistake, one that could potentially still be fatal. “How much time do I have?” she asked, keeping her voice even. Panic is useless here. I need to reframe my thinking; when I have nothing to lose at this point, I can do anything. If I see the situation through that lens, I can remain calm .

“Less than thirty seconds,” Ethan replied. He was sweating. “I’m going to be real with you; I don’t have any way of stopping this from killing you once you run out of time. I can delay the effect, but it is fated to still happen unless you change something in the world to prevent it.”

That wasn’t good. Alice was too far away for Blair to reach her and then return in time to prevent the ability from activating again. But hope wasn’t lost yet. “I think if we can find and defeat the enemy Stand user, we can disable their power. Then, when your ability’s effect on me ends, their power won’t be able to trigger, and I should survive.” She put her hand on her chin. “The question thus becomes, how do we defeat them in the time we have left?”

Ethan shook his head. “Beats me. You still think they’re in this here cargo hold, or what?” Rebecca nodded. That was the only explanation that made sense. Learning that the area had been trapped only further proved her right. The problem was that, now that she looked, she could see that the suitcase she'd originally noticed was not the only one marked. Many different suitcases had that burn-like symbol on them. Was the enemy in one of them? How could she find out, when the threat of triggering the trap again loomed over her?

She gritted her teeth. Rebecca wasn’t scared to die, not in itself. Death was an outcome she had long accepted when she’d chosen to defy her father’s evil. But not under these circumstances, where her death would be a pointless casualty. Blair could continue the mission, but they had only retrieved two of the stones so far. Rebecca was not integral to victory, but she couldn’t bear the thought of losing this early on. I have to find a way to survive this, no matter what !

“We just need to find them, then,” Rebecca said. “Can you delay multiple effects at once?” Thankfully, he nodded. “Could you delay the activation of these ‘symbols’ while I search the interior? If we find them, it won’t matter, and if we don’t, well, I will not survive regardless.”

Ethan tilted his head. “How do you intend to search? Do you have a way of locating and attacking them with your Stand?” Rebecca gritted her teeth, facing away from him. The truth was, she had no way of doing that at all. But she had to try.

“I can do this. Just stand back.” Ethan nodded hesitantly, and she prepared to climb up.

---

“There’s no need, Rebecca. I can handle this, ” a familiar voice spoke. Feed the Wolf emerged from the floof of the cargo hold, arms crossed. “ Joshua just woke up a little while ago, so I made my way over here immediately. It sounds like I’m just in time?” Rebecca couldn’t help but smile.

“Yes. The enemy is hidden inside of this cargo hold, in one of these suitcases. If you could, please help me locate them as quickly as possible, or their ability will trigger and kill me,” Rebecca explained as quickly as possible. How long had it been? Ten seconds? Twenty? She didn’t know how much time she had left. 

Feed the Wolf cracked its knuckles. “Sounds like a plan. And you, ” it pointed at Ethan. “ You’ll be stopping these ‘symbols’ from attacking me while I do?”

Ethan nodded, summoning his Stand again. Feed the Wolf seemed to smile, before turning to the layers of stored luggage. “Sounds good. In that case, let’s get started. ” It snarled. “ There’s no hiding from me!”

Feed the Wolf pulled back onto one leg, readying itself. Then, it unleashed, raining down a flurry of powerful kicks into the suitcases, his foot phasing harmlessly into each one as it struck and found that suitcase empty of a threat. But it kept going.

“Muda Muda Muda Muda Muda!!!”

Finally, there was a quiet, heavily muffled grunt from one of the suitcases, an unremarkable if large fabric-lined black one. Feed the Wolf narrowed its eyes as the piece of luggage was dislodged and launched into the air.

“Found them! Take this, you bastard!” Feed the Wolf grabbed the suitcase and threw it out of the cargo hold before delivering a single downward chop, slicing it open. The suitcase landed on the ground, popping open to reveal…

…A severed head.

No, not just that, but a pile of hands and legs and a torso. The person had black hair, but their outfit was unrecognizable because it was in pieces. They glared hatefully at Feed the Wolf.

“Impossible! How did you find me without triggering my Three Days Grace?” the man’s head snarled. He had a rough, coarse voice, and a bit of red beard was poking out from the white bandana over their mouth. “First you stopped the plane from crashing, and now you manage to root me out like this? How could this be?!”

Rebecca adjusted her spectacles. “I recognize you. Your name is Hephaestus, and you are a hitman hired by Descartes, is that not so?” He didn’t reply, but the look of shock on his face answered the question quite clearly. “I see. So your ability is to set trap-like ‘symbols’ which dismantle objects and people that they touch. However, we have already circumvented your efforts.”

“So you’re Rebecca, the boss’ daughter,” Hephaestus sneered. He slowly began reassembling his body; clearly, he had used his ‘Three Days Grace’ to disassemble himself nonlethally to hide inside of the suitcase. “I had thought I’d successfully hidden by breaking myself into pieces. How did you find me?”

She folded her arms. “You underestimated us. You are a formidable opponent indeed, but ultimately you were no threat to all of us. Even if you had slain me, you would never have had a chance at halting our mission.” She stepped forward and leaned down towards him. “It would be sensible to appeal to our sense of mercy, beginning by revealing any information about your boss’ other allies he intends to set on us.”

“Hmph.” Now lying on the ground, the man scoffed. “Maybe so. Still, I can’t ignore the boss’ orders. I’m sure you understand. I’d much rather die fighting for him than live betraying him. Now come down here and die already!” The man’s aura lit up with Stand power as he sat up, preparing to grab Rebecca by the throat.

With a grunt, Feed the Wolf slammed its fist straight onto Hephaestus’ head, smashing it into the dirt with enough force to leave a crater. The man didn’t move after that; though he was still alive, he’d likely suffered severe brain trauma and wouldn’t be recovering any time soon. Rebecca was unsurprised; she had seen what Joshua was capable of before. It was a bit startling, but she was relieved to have his strength on her side.

What she was more interested in was Ethan’s response, or rather, his lack thereof. As Hephaestus’ Stand power faded from her body, leaving her injured but no longer at risk of collapsing into pieces, she could only notice that he didn’t seem at all phased by the events that just happened. He was, in fact, remarkably calm.

Who is this man, really? Was it fated for us to meet here? What role does he have to play in our mission? I don’t know if I understand him, or if I can trust him. Still, he seems competent, and perhaps we can rely on him. We’ll simply have to see .

For now, Rebecca could breathe a sigh of relief. While things had been risky for a moment there, she had survived. All of them were okay, and the mission could continue unobstructed. As long as they were alive, there was hope.

---

Ugh, what a pain.

In the time Joshua had needed to recover his energy, everything had fallen apart. Alice had gotten hurt, Rebecca had almost gotten herself killed, and even Maria had flown off the handle. He got it, he’d be pissed too if he’d been awake, but he was still surprised at how thoughtless she’d been. She must have been incredibly stressed out to be so irresponsible. Normally, she had a good head on her shoulders, but he remembered the kinds of trouble she’d get herself into during finals weel.

It was unfortunate, for sure. If only he’d been able to stay conscious after landing the plane, but he’d been so exhausted from pushing his Stand as hard as he had that there’d been no chance of it. Also he’d hurt his nose when he faceplanted, which sucked. Even now, summoning his Stand again had taken a lot out of him. Not that he regretted it; if he hadn’t, Rebecca would probably be dead, and they wouldn’t have been able to stop the enemy from escaping or attacking again.

A little while after they’d defeated Hephaestus, the first responders arrived and began picking people up. Fortunately, only a few people had suffered major injuries, though with how shaken people were, Joshua wasn’t surprised that they were being brought to the hospital anyway. It was kind of unfortunate, but at least it got them to some manner of city. In this case, that turned out to be Dickinson, North Dakota. One of the bigger cities in the state, not that that was saying much given Joshua was from New York City. Almost every city was small compared to that.

A bunch of people had also been questioned about the situation, though fortunately not everyone. Of their group, only Blair got asked, and she did a good job of playing things off, her bluntness actually being to her advantage here. Descartes would definitely find out about this, but hopefully he couldn’t pinpoint them right away. Of course, it’s pretty unfortunate he somehow figured out we were on that plane, isn’t it? Ugh. Here I was thinking being in a soaring metal can would be the worst thing we’d deal with before reaching Seattle .

Now, they’d all been loaded up into trucks to be brought to a Dickinson hospital. Joshua was slumped back in his seat; he was still fatigued from using up so much Stand power to control the plane’s crash. Maria was sitting beside him, with a tired look on her face. This situation had been too close; if he hadn’t been able to manage controlling the plane, everyone on it would have died in a horrible crash. Now that the threat was over, he figured it was really hitting them. Joshua could also tell that Maria felt bad about how she’d struggled, so he’d need to cheer her up later.

And then there was Ethan. A mysterious outsider, he had been the one on the plane the whole time; Hephaestus had hidden from Starset by disassembling his body into pieces, preventing Rebecca from locating him, and Ethan’s ‘radar signal’ on the plane was what she’d perceived. He’d been sound asleep, and when Feed the Wolf had attempted his bluff, Ethan had simply slept through it. When push came to shove, he’d literally been a lifesaver with his own ability, and yet…

I don’t know who this guy is or what his goals are. Rebecca claims that ‘fate’ draws Stand users together. That means he may not be working for Descartes. Still, I find it weird that he just happened to run into us. I don’t want to let my guard down so easily just because he helped us out . Ethan was a mystery, definitely.

Dickinson had one airport, the Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport, which only served the Denver International Airport, so once things had settled, everyone on the plane would probably be routed there to finish their trip to Seattle. For now, the six of them--including Ethan--were set up in one hotel room. It was rather cramped with all of them plus their luggage, and even though Joshua was sharing a bed with Maria, and Rebecca was sharing one with Blair, Alice had to sleep on the futon and Ethan ended up on the floor. At least he didn’t seem to mind too much. It was late into the night by now, but Joshua couldn’t quite go to bed yet. They had to do a meeting first. Unfortunate.

“So, here is the current situation,” Rebecca explained. “The flight company is chartering flights to Denver to then travel to our original destination of Seattle. However, we will not be taking this flight.”

“What? Why not?” Maria asked. Joshua sighed.

“Look what happened today, Maria,” he pointed out. “The plane was attacked and almost crashed. Everyone on it could have been killed. We can’t afford to travel with civilians like that if we’re going to be targeted by enemies as extreme as Hephaestus.” They were all lucky that things had panned out the way that they did, and even so, it was too close for comfort.

Maria frowned. “That’s true…” Rebecca nodded.

“He’s correct. Involving civilians is a highly risky behavior. I had assumed our enemy Descartes was not so aware of our movements as to be able to pinpoint our exact flight, but clearly I was mistaken. This means we must be much more careful about how we make movements in the future.”

Ugh. How unfortunate. Joshua was glad they weren’t getting back on a plane anytime soon, but as far as their objective went, it wasn’t great. “The plane is leaving tomorrow afternoon, right? What time will we arrive if we take the bus?” he asked. 

“The bus ride will be about 22 hours, with two layovers on the way,” Rebecca answered. Joshua sighed. Being on a bus with a bunch of strangers for that long a time sounded absolutely miserable to him, but it seemed like they didn’t have much choice. I’d rather not fly again, but I’d prefer basically anything to getting into more fights. Not that this is much better, in the end. What a pain.

“Becca, I do have a question,” Blair said. “The thing is, what if Descartes figures out our plan? He might put someone on the bus. Or he might put someone on both transports, just to be safe.” She shrugged. “Maybe we should aim to be fast, since I think both options are risky.” Joshua had to admit, she had a point.

Rebecca considered this for a few moments. “You are right, we may find ourselves attacked on the bus. However, given that Hephaestus was only undetected due to his ability to ‘dismantle’ himself and prevent being scanned by my Starset, I believe that this time I will detect a threat more readily, and we will be able to dispose of them. Is that amenable to everyone?”

Ugh. Joshua couldn’t argue with it, but he wasn’t looking forward to the next couple of days. He’d always hated taking subway rides back in the city, and this seemed like it’d just be a longer, more exhausting version of that. Frankly, with the thought of taking that kind of trip and how tired he already was, it just made him feel worse. This is all such a pain. I don’t really have much choice, I guess, but…shit, this sucks .

“So, uh, I have one more question,” Maria said. “What are we doing with, you know, him?” She nodded towards Ethan, who was just sitting on the floor off to the side. He’d barely said anything since they’d left the plane. “Are we taking him with us, or what?”

Nobody said anything for a couple of moments. It was a question they’d all been thinking, Joshua guessed. Ethan had just kind of stuck around ever since the battle, if you could call it that. He’d said little, and his demeanor was calm and relaxed the entire time. And yet, he definitely wasn’t some kind of thoughtless fool; his actions during their fight had proven it, especially from what Alice had said when he’d spoken to her.

‘ He’s stronger than he looks, and a lot tougher than he lets on ,’ she’d said while she was looking over his body once he woke up. Joshua got that sense from him as well. He was flexible, rather than fragile. That could be a good thing, and yet…what was he really doing with all of this? Why had he chosen to help them, rather than just sit out once he was cleared of suspicion? What part did Ethan Equis really have to play in all of this?

“I guess it depends. First of all, does he want to come with us?” Joshua asked, looking over at Ethan. The other man shrugged.

“Don’t see why not. If Descartes gets what he wants, bad stuff will go down, right? End of the world, or whatever. I don’t want bad stuff to go down; I like this planet, and I want to keep living on it without a crazy guy with a god complex taking over. Seems like a good enough reason as any, you know?”

Rebecca nodded. “I see. You understand the danger, yes?” He waved his hand flippantly.

“Sure thing. You almost got turned into onion rings just this afternoon, didn’t you?”

Rebecca frowned and adjusted her spectacles. “Well, yes, though that was my own error,” she replied sheepishly. “It would be irresponsible to pull you into life-threatening situations without your full knowledge and consent, after all.”

“Well, I can always just leave if I need to, right?” Ethan replied, laying back against the floor. “It’s not like this is a lifelong commitment. God knows I’m not interested in any of those, but this should be easy. Well,” he noted after a moment. “I guess I do have one request before I give my answer.”

Rebecca nodded. He gave a little smirk. “I’ll be taking off from work when I do this, you know. A bit of financial compensation couldn’t hurt, if you get what I’m saying.” Joshua rolled his eyes. So much for saving the world being a good enough reason, apparently. Whatever. Joshua wouldn’t mind getting a payout himself, to be frank, but he’d figured that could wait until the end of the mission. It’d save him the trouble of having to do his normal ‘job’, and Rebecca was rich as hell anyway, so who cared?

Of course, it was her call. Blair looked annoyed, but that was normal. Rebecca herself seemed pensive. “I can arrange for that.”

Ethan clapped his hands once. “Then it’s settled. Consider me your comrade in arms, then, everyone.”

Joshua sighed. Great. Even more people to be around at all times. Just when he was getting used to constantly being with Blair and Rebecca, now some newcomer shows up. The worst part was, Joshua couldn’t get a read on this guy. Now that they’d spoken a little, it was obvious that there was more to Ethan than his devil-may-care attitude. But after the incident with Rebecca, how can I approach him more effectively than last time I tried to get someone to open up ?

Ugh. What a pain.

Chapter Text

Ethan spent the rest of the evening listening to his new compatriots explain everything. The stones they’d retrieved--three of them, now--and the enemies they’d faced, along with the rest of their itinerary. It was all pretty fascinating. Given how badly the whole plane fiasco had gone, it was nice to hear about their successes.

Not that Ethan particularly cared about how this all went down. He was in it for the money, like usual. Sure, it was a little more involved and exciting than his usual kind of jobs, but hey, sometimes even a conman had to go legit for a bit.

Maybe ‘conman’ wasn’t the right word. Huckster? Trickster? Dashing rogue? Whatever. Ethan used his God-given power to pull hustles for cash; that was how he made a living. He would make bets about impossible things in a bar for cash. He’d bet on how he could spin a quarter for a minute straight, and then spin it. He’d then use his Dark Before Dawn to delay the coin falling, and win the bet--and a bunch of money.

Other times, he’d make a bet that he could drink ten shots of tequila, a kind of booze made from blue agave. Tequila has a 40% ABV, so downing ten shots would normally be devastating to someone, especially when he then proceeded to pass a hopscotch course, which required considerable balance and coordination to avoid falling. But he’d bet everyone in the room 50$ apiece if he could do it, and then due to Dark Before Dawn, he’d delay the drunkenness, and make a boatload of cash.

That was the real truth. Ethan knew all about Stands; like the rest of his family, he’d had one ever since he was a kid, and he used it to get into all kinds of trouble. That never changed, really; it was just that now he made money off of the trouble he was getting himself into. Ethan had been on that plane traveling after things had gotten a little too hot in his old watering hole, and now it seemed he’d gotten himself wrapped up in something bigger.

Oh, well. The payoff was good--after some private negotiation, Rebecca had promised a million dollars once the mission was complete. A million bucks! He’d never made that much off of one job before. Sure, it’d take a bit longer than his normal stuff and be more difficult and dangerous, but it was kind of exciting. He’d been getting bored of using his Stand to swindle people; what was a life like his without a little danger? Maybe it’d give him the chance to grow his power a little more. And hell, if stuff went south he could always just bail. He didn’t owe these people anything.

Anyway, after all that was resolved Ethan went to sleep on the floor, which was a pretty comfy position compared to other places. Definitely beat the plane seat, for sure. He wasn’t sure how long he slept, but when he awoke, Blair was shoving him in the shoulder.

“Hey. We need to leave soon, you know,” she said. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He’d been in the middle of a nice dream, and he was already forgetting it. Ugh. “The bus is taking off in about half an hour, you need to get ready so we can catch it. Assuming you’re coming, at least.”

Ethan looked around. Ethan liked his beauty sleep, but admittedly, he was still surprised that everyone was already dressed and ready to go. Even Joshua, who he’d pegged as being a kindred spirit, was up and about, leaning against the wall with his hands behind his head. If anything, he looked more refreshed and alert than any of them. Ethan felt a little betrayed. “Sorry, I’m a bit of a heavy sleeper, and we were up pretty late last night.”

Rebecca nodded. “It’s alright. But we do need to get going. I assume you’re still intent on joining us?” He nodded. “Good. Then hurry and get ready. The bus will be leaving soon. There’ll be two layovers on the way.”

Ethan sighed and obliged her request. It was too early to start regretting things, but he sure wished he didn’t have to rush his morning routine right about now. That definitely wasn’t his thing; it took effort to get his hair looking this good, you know? Well, whatever. The important thing was the payout, and it was a juicy one at that. He could grin and bear it a little bit more if it meant making a million frigging dollars.

The buses were in place for those that didn’t want to fly to Seattle, organized by the plane company. It made sense; not everyone would want to get on a plane a day after their plane crashed, even if that crash was pretty damn gentle, all things considered. Still, it wouldn’t save them from attempts at lawsuits. Ethan wondered if sabotage provided protection in that situation. Maybe he ought to get in on that when it happened…

Anyway, that would come after their little adventure Was over. the six of them loaded up onto their bus together with their luggage. The inside of the bus was surprisingly nice, even having tray tables at their seats. Ethan sighed in relief as he sat back, hands behind his head to get comfy. Hopefully, this would be a nice, relaxing trip without all the trouble of the airplane.

Well, hopefully.

---

Blair was in a weird mood.

Things weren’t so bad. They’d survived the crash. Made it to safety. Defeated their enemy. It had been risky, but their plan was still underway. Rebecca was alive, as was the rest of them. They’d even managed to recruit a new ally. She didn’t really like him. He seemed more interested in money than saving the world. Still, he could potentially be useful. They were a few hours into the bus ride, and so far everything had been smooth. But something wasn’t sitting right with her.

And she was pretty sure that something was ‘him’. Young man with silvery hair sitting across the aisle from her. Joshua Jordan was the cause of her frustration, and she didn’t know why.

Blair scowled to herself. Ever since their fight against Zeus, he’d been bugging her. After the battle on the airplane, it was even worse. Something about him was rubbing her the wrong way. Yet, she couldn’t place her finger on it. Maybe it was his attitude. The cavalier way he had approached their battles. Like it was no big deal. He’d saved her life and then hadn’t even commented on it. And now, he was just sitting there, not saying anything.

“What is your deal?” she asked him. She kept her voice down to avoid dragging anyone else into it. He turned and looked at her, raising an eyebrow. “Ever since you saved my life from Zeus, we’ve barely talked. Don’t you have anything to say about that? And with the plane, you just went and saved the day for us. Twice. Then you just went off like nothing happened. It’s like you’re never satisfied. What is it that you want?”

Joshua stared at her. His expression was unguarded, and betrayed clear confusion. He didn’t respond for a few seconds, just long enough that Blair almost got annoyed with him. But then he said, “What are you talking about? I didn’t say anything because nothing needed to be said. Or do you think I should have been bragging and boasting all this time about how cool I am for playing the hero?”

“Huh,” Blair said, unsure what to say to that. No, she supposed she didn’t want that. But she’d known plenty of guys like him in school, and they’d always been the types to endlessly talk about their successes. Had she misjudged his calm attitude for arrogance? He was always taking charge and doing his own thing. Yet he never acted like anything he did was a big deal.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Just, it doesn’t seem like you’re happy with the outcome. You don’t even seem to be proud of yourself. You saved all of our lives before. Why aren’t you more enthusiastic?”

He shrugged, looking a little confused. “Why would I be proud? All I did was what everyone else would have done. I just happened to have the power that was useful there. I mean,” He folded his hands behind his head. “I didn’t even need to be there, really. If it had been necessary, and I wasn’t here, I’m sure you would have figured something out.”

Now it was Blair that raised an eyebrow. “Really? You think that?” That attitude…was the exact opposite of what she expected. He didn’t even think he was needed?. “You’re kidding, right? Without Feed the Wolf, there’s no chance that we would have been able to land that plane. When we were fighting Zeus, from how you told us what you did, none of us would have figured out how to beat him. I sure didn’t.”

Blair had failed. That’s what had happened. She’d rushed headlong into Zeus and gotten a pummeling for her troubles. She’d failed to save Rebecca against Hephaestus. She’d misread her partner’s goals and actions and panicked. If Joshua hadn’t come in to defeat the enemy every time…Rebecca would be dead. And now here he was, acting like he didn’t do anything at all. Like he hadn’t saved the most important member of their team when nobody else could have.

Joshua just rolled his eyes. “Of course. You didn’t need me for that. It may have been more difficult, but you would have found a way, I’m sure.” He folded his hands behind his head. “It doesn’t matter. The important thing is that we’re nowhere near finished with our mission. We still need to get five more stones and then defeat Descartes, right? We shouldn’t be so focused on what we’ve already succeeded at. It’s a long road ahead of us, you know.”

Ugh. What is his deal? He’s so melancholy. I don’t understand this guy at all. I was wrong to think he didn’t care about the mission, at least. But it’s almost the opposite. He’s taking things so seriously that it’s almost like it’s weighing on him. Like a heavy ship anchor . Blair thought she was starting to understand Joshua Jordan a little better. And yet, he still didn’t make much sense to her.

“Fine, I guess,” she replied. Joshua had already stopped looking at her. Blair crossed her arms and grumbled under her breath. Rebecca, sitting next to her, glanced over, but Blair didn’t say anything to her. Instead, she just rested her head on her partner’s shoulder. They had a long way to go before they reached Seattle.

---

Aside from Blair bugging him for some reason, Joshua had to admit, the trip wasn’t too bad. He was sitting in the aisle next to Maria, and it was actually a pretty comfortable seat. It was kind of like the plane, really; they’d even been allowed to bring chips and soda on-board, which was good because the bus wasn’t stopping until this evening, when they’d be switched to another bus on the way. They spent some time talking about nothing important, about random things like the dumb TV show they’d been watching in the hotel room. It was kind of like hanging out back home.

He didn’t have a window, so he spent a lot of time dozing as well. Rebecca had already carefully checked the bus and everyone else on it, and they weren’t in a big tin tube thousands of feet in the air, so it was much easier to relax this time. He also had some time to read, though he was going to need to be sparing on that so he didn’t run out of material before they reached their destination. Unfortunate, but he’d been up late, so a little nap didn’t hurt.

Eventually, they reached a rest stop, where they had an hour to get food and walk around a little before reboarding the bus. They’d need to sleep on the way, which was unfortunate, but whatever. Joshua went off with Maria and Alice to go and get some food, while Rebecca and Blair did their own thing. Ethan was off on his own, too. Joshua still didn’t know how to read that guy. His attitude was mysterious, and he didn’t seem interested in talking about himself. Maybe he was just guarded. Joshua could get that.

It was hard to say, but to be frank Joshua had more important things to worry about, namely Maria. To be more precise, it was her mood ever since the plane had crashed. Joshua knew exactly what it was, of course; unfortunately, he wasn’t sure what to do about it. Joshua wasn’t very good at the whole ‘comforting’ people thing. He wasn’t much for heart to heart anything. But he had to do something.

“Hey, so…” Joshua said as he sat at the bench next to her. “Are you…okay?” he asked. Maria looked up at him from her burger and he groaned inwardly. I have no idea what I’m doing. How am I supposed to ask about this when I already know it? Should I pretend I don’t, or should I be upfront? And once I know that, how do I begin comforting her? I can’t just say something empty like ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘it’s okay’ can I? She’ll need me to do more than that. What do I-?

“Hey, Jojo,” Maria said, tilting her head. He’d been so distracted in thought that he hadn’t noticed her initial response, apparently. Joshua blushed a little. “You’re being weird. Are you worried about me?”

Joshua rubbed his head. “Yeah, I guess. You seemed pretty down, I was wondering if you wanted to like, talk about it? Or something?” He shrugged hastily. “I mean you don’t have to, it’s not a big deal, I’m just-”

She held up her hand. A slight smirk crossed Maria’s lips. “Hey, it’s fine. I just feel bad because I screwed up the fight earlier and it’s bugging me.” Well, he was glad to know his read on her was correct. Now he just had to figure out how to do something. “It’s not like, a big deal, I’ll be fine. I just need to shake it off, you know? Like when a professional football player fumbles a catch, you can’t let it bother you forever. It does feel kinda bad in the moment, but I’ll get over it, promise.”

“I-I…” Joshua stumbled on his words. For some reason, that wasn’t good enough for him. He had barely said anything. Wasn’t he supposed to do more in this exchange? Maria was usually the one reassuring him, and she always had more to say when he said it was fine. “I don’t think that you should feel guilty for it, it’s not really your fault. Nobody really knew what was going on, you know? It was a chaotic situation, that’s all. Everyone messed up at some point yesterday.”

Maria tossed her head dismissively. “I panicked, though. That’s different from making a mistake. If I do that in a more dangerous situation, someone could die, Jojo. You, or Alice, or even Rebecca or Blair. I may be new to this ‘Stand user’ phenomenon but I still have to be able to keep my head together under pressure or I could mess everything up.”

Joshua didn’t know what to say. So he just sat silently. Is she wrong? Not really. Panicking really is dangerous here. But I don’t want to tell her that if it makes her feel worse . Maria smiled a little. “Look, you don’t have to console me. I know I messed up, and that it’s not the end of the world. I just need to get my act together. For next time-”

“I should have been there,” Joshua blurted out.

---

He stood up abruptly. “I was out cold and the whole thing fell apart because people were relying on me. If everyone messed up, then that includes me, right? Me passing out meant we didn’t have me along, and that led to a lot of problems. If I’d been unconscious even longer, who knows what could have happened?”

Maria was giving him a look. It was a look he knew unfortunately well. It was the ‘you just said something dumb and I’m going to have to have a word with you’ look Maria got. It was rarely directed at him, but that just meant that when it was, he was in some very deep shit. Joshua’s body tensed up as she rolled her eyes.

“Come on Jojo. Nobody here is blaming you for not being, what, perfect? We’re all adults here,” she said, looking over at Alice, whom Joshua had almost forgotten was there. Luckily, she was very focused on eating some chicken tenders, presumably to avoid involving herself. Thank goodness. “That means we’re all responsible for our own actions. Sure, it’s fine to rely on one another, and we definitely should be protecting each other, but you’re not the one that needs to save us all. We can handle ourselves, you know.”

She tossed her hair. “And also, you’re doing that thing. You know,” she said as he looked at her in confusion, “that thing you do where you make up a problem to get stressed about. You were awake when you needed to be and we all survived. Isn’t that good enough?” She gently punched him on the shoulder. “You know, I thought you didn’t really want to do this, so why are you so worked up about it? You can always just leave, you know.”

Ugh, she really had to go there? Maria was right, obviously. Joshua sighed. “Yeah. I do want to help, really. I just…I feel like if I’m making you all drag me along, I need to pull my weight. And I don’t feel like I pulled my weight back there, not when it counted.”

Maria scoffed. “What, pulling the weight of an entire airplane isn’t good enough for you? You saved everyone’s life, you realize. You’re good at this, and you’re doing fine. Don’t beat yourself up over things not going exactly as planned when everything worked out for the best in the end.” She laughed. “ I guess it’s a little silly that I’m the one saying that to you when you were trying to cheer me up, huh.”

Joshua sighed and shrugged. He didn’t bow his head in resignation, but he was definitely tempted to. Yeah, that’s about how he should have expected things to pan out. Trust Maria to be the one to be comforting him, not the other way around. Ugh, what good am I really? I just wanted to help my best friend feel better, and instead she’s the one who had to help me.

“Okay. I’ll be fine,” he said. Maria nodded. Did she really believe him? Or was she just letting the topic drop because she could tell that he didn’t want to talk about it anymore? Maria was one of the few people he couldn’t always read, despite his best efforts. Maybe he wasn’t willing to look hard enough. Whatever the case, she didn’t ask any further of him, and the conversation turned back to complaining about the bus ride.

After eating and, to Joshua’s surprise, getting a shower, they returned to the bus. Joshua settled into his seat next to Maria as they got moving again. It was late out, so there wasn’t much to see out the window, but that’s where she was looking. Alice had already dozed off, as had Blair. Rebecca was on her laptop, and Ethan was behind him, so who knew.

Joshua sighed and closed his eyes. He was really trying. All this time, Joshua had known he wasn’t good enough, and the fact that he’d lucked into a few wins didn’t matter in the end. Could he cut it when everything was on the line? That question was all that mattered, and Joshua didn’t think he knew the answer.

That was just the kind of person he was. He knew this was important, and he came along because he had no other choice, but he also didn’t know if that was the right choice. Apparently, he descended from the Joestar lineage, who had battled evil a number of times in the past. That kind of thing had never mattered to Joshua before, but maybe it should? If he was going to start meeting members of his family, then he ought to at least act like he deserved to be among them.

Maybe he’d talk to Jotaro when they got to the next city. That might help him figure out what to do. From what Jotaro had said, it seemed like it was no accident that he was involved in this kind of fight. Was Joshua cut out to inherit this legacy? He didn’t know. All he knew was what he was capable of, and while that was more than he used to think, he didn’t yet know if it was enough.

Hm. This was an odd train of thought. Certainly not one he could share with all the others. He’d have to figure this out somehow. Joshua curled in on himself a little to go to sleep.

Chapter Text

Bus travel was long and boring and Blair was sick of it.

She didn’t mind sitting next to Becca, obviously. The rest of the people on the bus were quiet enough. Most of that was probably them grappling with the plane crash. Nothing could be done about that, at least not by the group. Their therapists could handle it. It definitely wasn’t Blair’s problem. It left them with time to think. Or sleep. That’s mostly what Blair did when she wasn’t going over a map.

They finally reached their hotel days after they were originally meant to. They got some food and went off to their rooms. For some reason, Joshua and Maria seemed down in the dumps. Blair wasn’t sure what their problem was. She hoped it didn’t interfere with their mission. It better not; personal matters are nothing compared to defeating Descartes .

The new arrangement was to have Alice sleep with Maria and Joshua. Ethan would share a room with Becca and Blair. It made sense, given Maria and Alice had really hit it off. However, it was annoying because Ethan was annoying. He talked a lot. Asking them a lot of questions. Blair tuned him out mostly. She wasn’t here to make friends. She was here to protect Becca. That was it. Luckily, he eventually got the hint. The rest of the night was quiet and peaceful.

Seattle was a nice enough city. Maybe. Frankly, Blair could hardly tell the difference between the cities they’d been to. They were all big, loud, and crowded, and they sucked. Hopefully they wouldn’t be here for very long. All they had to do was figure out where the stone was. That was pretty much all on Becca. She’d need to travel around and extend her Starset’s ‘Stand sense’. That way, she’d pick up on the stone’s location as soon as possible.

Until then, the rest of them didn’t have much to do. It was Ethan that suggested a course of action for them, actually. “Hey, idea. What if we split off and leave Rebecca on her own?” he said, sitting on the bed as they all ate breakfast. “Have her go in disguise while we all go out and look conspicuous. That way, Descartes’ grunts will come after us instead of her, so she’ll be free to do her thing all day.”

Blair frowned from her spot at the desk. That was risky, because Becca couldn’t really fight. She had a gun, but she couldn’t fight off a Stand user. Having her go off on her own sounded like a terrible idea. “I don’t think we can risk it,” she said, crossing her arms. “If Becca gets attacked, she’ll be in big trouble.”

“Well, as long as we don’t go too far, we can get to her, right?” Maria said. She and Joshua were next to each other on the other bed. “I mean, Joshua’s Feed the Wolf can probably be in range of her in case she gets into trouble. We don’t need to be on opposite sides of the city, just far enough away to distract anyone looking for us.”

Becca nodded from the couch. “I think it’s a sound suggestion. It’s unlikely the enemy is following our moves precisely, since they haven’t ever attacked us in our sleep. It’s more probable that they are tracking our general location and attacking when they pinpoint our position. If they locate you all, you should be safe, and I will be able to avoid risk as well while I perform my own search.”

Ugh. I don’t like this. It’s too risky . Blair never wanted to put Becca at risk, and that seemed to be the plan. But if Becca wanted to go along with it, she couldn’t really say no. “Okay. So how will we divide ourselves?”

“I’m sticking with Jojo,” Maria said. She glanced over at him, and he nodded. “Alice should probably stay at the hotel. Ethan and Blair, are you two good together? You shared a room, so maybe you got in a little bonding?” She smiled innocently. Blair rolled her eyes.

“What do you think, Becca?” Blair asked. Becca considered the question.

“I think that seems like a reasonable arrangement if you do.” Blair supposed that Joshua and Maria were being mopey, anyway. She didn’t want to stick with them more than Mr. Talkative. At least he was in a good mood. What was their problem, anyway?

“Uh, hey,” Alice said. “Shouldn’t I go with Rebecca? I mean, uhm, if she’s not supposed to be in any danger, then maybe I can help out.”

Joshua shook his head. “If any of us get into trouble, we need you on hand.” Alice stood up from her own seat.

“But if it’s safer for Rebecca to be close to you all, then isn’t it important I also be closer?” She began coughing again. Blair sighed. Sometimes she didn’t know what was with this kid. “I just…don’t want to be useless again.” What is that supposed to mean? Of course she’s not useless, we need her healing. These people have no sense of themselves, I swear .

“I think she makes a good point, honestly,” Maria said. “Sticking with Rebecca isn’t so risky, if all of us are diverting attention away from them, right? What do you think?” Maria looked to Becca, who nodded.

“A valid consideration. I concur. Alice, you’ll accompany me on my investigation then. Is that suitable?” Alice visibly brightened up, and nodded. “Good. We’ll set out at once and begin fanning out in the business district of Downtown Seattle, near the Columbia Center. I’ll contact you when I narrow the location down further. Any other questions?”

Fortunately, nobody had any more pointless questions. They set off in their little pairs, and Blair braced herself. She was going to have to spend the whole day putting up with Mr. Chatty. This had better be worth it.

---

“Isn’t it nice out today?” Ethan asked Blair. The two of them were hanging out in the park near the Columbia Center. Specifically, they were under the trees near the kids’ playground. She had to admit, it was a nice day. That said, she wasn’t interested in needless banter, so she ignored him. But he kept talking. “It’s April, so it usually rains a good bit here in Seattle, but we got lucky with a nice sunny day. It’s because it’s between two mountain ranges and the Puget Sound.”

Seattle was weird. It was hilly and green. A ton of trees, especially on the way in. It wasn’t as close to the ocean as she’d thought, though. The harbor was part of a strait, not the ocean. That wasn’t what she thought. If they went a little further north, they’d see Canada. Kind of a pretty place, not that it mattered.

Blair sighed. “I don’t care,” she said, crossing her arms. This conversation was completely banal and pointless. Their job was to be a distraction to cover for Becca, that was all. Standing around making small talk didn’t do that; they needed to stick out. “Help me pretend to be searching. Let’s go by that coffee shop and ask about something.”

Ethan sighed. “You’re such a buzzkill, you know that?” He folded his hands behind his head. “We’ve got literally nothing to do, and you’re focusing on this charade we’re playing? It’s not like us standing around is that much less notable. Why not chill out and relax while we have time, before we inevitably get into a fight for our lives?”

Blair whipped around and stormed over to Ethan. After crossing the few yards between them, she jabbed her finger in his face. “This is important , you idiot. We’re fighting for the sake of the world , not just ourselves. We can’t afford to slack off, because we might fuck things up.” She considered flicking him on the nose, but thought better of it. “Stop whining and put in the work if you want to be here.”

Ethan laughed, a light and cheerful laugh which only further annoyed her. “Really? Because that’s not how I see it.” He folded his arms. “From where I’m standing, you’re not here to ‘save the world’ any more than I am. You’re here for her, aren’t you?” Blair just stared at him. “Don’t lie. You’re fighting for the sake of your girlfriend, and that’s all well and good, but don’t pretend you have a high-and-mighty purpose for being here.”

Blair scowled. How dare he. What gives him the right to say that to my face?! This self-centered little bastard doesn’t know anything. “You don’t know shit about what I’m here for. I’m here because Descartes is a danger to everyone, everywhere.” She crossed her arms. This son of a bitch had no idea what he was talking about. Worse, he was being a nuisance when they had work to do. She just needed to shut him up so-

“Well, then, if that’s the case…” He smirked. “If Rebecca decided that, actually, this Descartes guy isn’t so bad, and now she wanted to work with him instead? Let’s say she decides to bring the rocks to him on a silver platter.” Ethan folded his hands behind his head. “Will you go with her, or will you stick around, knowing you may have to fight her later?”

Blair scoffed. What a ridiculous, petty question. “That would never happen. Becca is resolute in her mission. She’d never betray us to go work for that bastard.”

Ethan shrugged. “I mean, sure, but it’s just a hypothetical. Be honest with yourself, and also with me. Would you side with Descartes if Becca did? Or would you turn your back on her for the sake of this ‘world-saving cause’ you’re so devoted to, regardless of how that made her see you?”

Blair paused as the question really hit her. What was he asking of her? It just wasn’t worth thinking about, honestly. Obviously Becca would never ally with her father after all he’d done. This exercise was asking the impossible. Thinking about impossible things was a waste of time. Why would she prepare for something that couldn’t possibly happen?

But…was that really the point? Ethan was asking if she followed Becca first and foremost, or if fighting Descartes was more important. She knew that much, there was no denying it. And obviously, she wasn’t going to just let Descartes do whatever he wanted. It was absurd.

And then she thought about how Becca would react. How her partner would feel when she turned her back on her. When she decided to no longer trust Becca and to abandon her. Blair froze. What would she do? Could she really betray Becca so easily? No, she certainly couldn’t ever give up on her girlfriend. But what did that mean for what Ethan said? What did that really mean about the mission?

“Whatever,” Blair said, turning away. Stupid questions didn’t deserve answers. “There’s no use pondering that. It’s never going to happen, so we may as well focus on reality. Like how we need to--”

A thin razor, like a needle, slashing her forehead, barely missing her right eye, and she staggered.

---

“Well, it’s good to know you’re all in one piece.”

Joshua chuckled sheepishly. It had been several days since he’d spoken to Jotaro Kujo, but he had to admit, he had been looking forward to it.The first thing Jotaro had said was ‘how is everyone faring?’ He had a very closed-off demeanor, but Joshua could tell his words were sincere. “You could say that. We did all have a big plane crash, after all.”

“Good grief, you really did,” Jotaro replied. “It must be in the blood. My grandfather--I suppose he’s your cousin--survived four plane crashes, and I was in two of those. Your uncle, who lives in Italy, was also in a plane accident one time.”

“Heh, I guess it’s that ‘Joestar curse’ you mentioned, huh?” Joshua replied. It was mostly a joke; Joshua wasn’t superstitious. He didn’t believe in things like ‘fate’ or ‘curses’ or anything of the sort. The world was random and cruel, so people liked to invent reasons for things to have happened. But that just wasn’t how life went, really. “No, but seriously, we’re all okay.”

He glanced over at Maria, who was watching a street artist play a strange electronic instrument setup called a theremin a few meters away. He’d decided to take the opportunity to make a phone call and check in with Jotaro. It had been Maria’s idea, after they’d had another conversation while walking around.

‘Hey, Jojo, I’m sorry if I was too pushy the other day. I just think you’re doing a great job, and I don’t want you to think you’re not appreciated by all of us, that’s all. But thanks for checking in on me. You’re a great guy, you know. ’ That’s what she had said. Maria was always able to tell how he was feeling, it seemed, because she always had the right words. He still wasn’t totally sold on the whole ‘save the world’ element of his involvement, but he trusted Maria. If she felt he was putting himself in danger for no reason, she’d have told him off already.

“So you’re currently in Seattle. What’s your plan now?” Jotaro asked. Joshua glanced over at Maria. He still had to be vigilant in case of attack, even when he was on a personal phone call.

“Rebecca is going to search the city for the stone and retrieve it. Then, we’re heading to Utah. There’s a stone in the Salt Lake City area. We don’t know exactly where, though, so we’ll need to figure things out once we get there. But first things first, Rebecca needs to find the person that has the stone here in Seattle.’ Hopefully, she does it quickly and easily. If we can get in and out without encountering Descartes’ allies, we’ll have a huge lead on him .

“I see,” Jotaro said. “By the way, before you go, I have some news for you. It’s about your father.” Joshua suddenly felt his body go tense. All of a sudden, he was sweating. My dad? He actually found something out? What is it? Does he have a name? A face? A career? What could it possibly be ?

“I don’t know much detail about it yet, but I found an article about the motorcycle accident he was in. He and your mother were both in critical condition after crashing into a semi truck. Your mother passed away in the hospital. However…”

The world seemed to slow down. Joshua couldn’t hear the music, or the crowd, or anything. Only the pounding of his own heartbeat.

“Your father’s spine was broken, and he’ll never walk again. But he’s still alive.”

---

“Ouch! What the hell?!” Blair yelled. Ethan glanced over at her, and was very unhappy to see that she was bleeding. Here he was, thinking they could take some time to themselves without incident--well, incident aside from needing to call out some bullshit--and suddenly they were under attack or something. Damn, he needed more coffee than he’d gotten today.

“What cut you?” he asked, glancing around. Nobody was in sight that he could see. That was bad news; it meant the attacker was either hidden, or far away. Neither boded well for their respective Stands. Ethan knew his Dark Before Dawn’s weaknesses better than anyone, and if he couldn’t anticipate something, he had no chance of ‘delaying’ it.

Blair looked around, wiping blood out of her eye. Her Stand was already summoned, increasing her range of vision. “I don’t know. I already checked the ground, but whatever hit me disappeared.”

“Could the enemy be ‘invisible’, do you think?” Ethan asked, glancing around. Aside from the nearby tree and the more distant playground, there wasn’t anything around them. Could the enemy be in the tree, or hiding in the slide tube? That was an option. The tree was a Japanese maple, a type of deciduous tree. It could grow to over 30 feet tall, and it was notable for its red leaf color, but otherwise he didn’t see anything inside the boughs.

Suddenly, an unseen blade cut straight through the top of Ethan’s ear to the lobe, nearly slicing it off. “Agh, damnit!” he grunted, clasping his bloodied head. “The enemy is definitely hiding themselves somehow. We need to figure out how to find them and stop their attack, right?” Blair nodded. I can’t tell how they’re attacking either, for that matter. It seems like the attack angle is from above, and the attack ‘source’ is small, but high speed.

A raindrop fell right in front of Ethan’s eyes, and he reflexively followed its path. As it hit the ground, rather than disappear into the grass, it cut straight through the strands of greenery, leaving a clear hole. Well that makes things easier , Ethan realized. “It’s the rain, Blair! The rain is cutting us!” Sure enough, it was just starting to drizzle, despite it being sunny. A sunshower, caused by wind blowing the rain from elsewhere into this area.

More importantly, it looked like Ethan was right on the money. Every single droplet was plowing a hole in the ground like a dropped knife, and the sprinkle was soon turning into a downpour. “Shit, we need to take cover. Under the tree?” Blair asked, already moving. Ethan concurred. From the looks of things, the ground under the tree was largely unscathed, meaning the droplets weren’t able to pierce the branches.

Ethan ran over and ducked under the tree as the rain grew more and more intense. The good news was it worked; they were safe from the falling knife-rain. The bad news was, as Ethan leaned against the tree, catching his breath, a deep gash opened in his shoulder, and he gasped in pain as blood spurted out. “What the hell? Shit, that hurt!” he turned around, expecting to see an enemy, or you know, something, but it was just the tree.

“Did you get hit by something?” Blair asked. She turned to face him, and for a moment, he thought he saw concern cross through her eyes. Then her expression hardened. “You’re good, right? We can’t let our guard down.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Ethan replied, rubbing his back. The cut was deep, definitely, but it wasn’t life-threatening, so he just needed to be careful. The real question was, what had cut him? His back had been to a tree, and the raindrops were too small and scattered to inflict a wound like this. Unless…”I think the ‘tree’ has been sharpened, just like the rain.”

“What do you mean?” Blair asked. Ethan bent over and picked up a stick that had fallen from the tree and pressed its tip against the bark of the tree’s trunk. Sure enough, it split open, a cleaner cut than any knife could manage. Ethan frowned. Not good. Really wish that didn’t happen, for sure .

“Slight update; the enemy’s ability isn’t to just make razor-sharp rain fall from the sky,” Ethan said. “It’s to make anything in an area ‘sharpened’ enough to cut through flesh. This tree has been ‘sharpened’, as has the rain, so both are pretty damn dangerous now.” So far, they were lucky; the rain in Seattle was frequent, but light, and the raindrops weren’t big enough to cut too deeply. But they were still sitting ducks. “We’re going to need to find the enemy fast.”

Blair frowned, thinking. “Let me test something, then. Lacuna Coil!” Blair summoned one chain from her hand and reached out to wrap it around the tree. Ethan frowned in anticipation, but nothing happened; the chain remained intact, and no wound formed on Blair’s body. She retracted the chain. “Okay, good, the ‘sharpened’ things are unable to cut through my chains. Assuming you’re right and the tree has been ‘sharpened’.” She gave him an odd look, and he rolled his eyes.

“Why would I lie? I just cut myself on the damn thing.” He glanced around. “So that’s good to know, but we can’t stay out here. We need to find shelter.” The question is, how? The rain is light, but a drop directly onto my head could potentially punch a hole in my skull, not to mention opening so many gashes that I bleed severely. That kid Alice isn’t around, so we’re going to need to navigate this without getting seriously injured. A tough ask when everything in the area is trying to kill us. At least the grass and ground isn’t ‘sharpened’. Yet .

“Ugh, how annoying,” Blair said. She looked pissed, which for some reason amused Ethan. This had been the plan from the start, so she ought to be happy it wasn’t her girlfriend, right? Then again, it had been his idea, and he wasn’t exactly thrilled to be bloody and stuck under a tree. Man, what was he thinking?

Ethan sighed, staring out into the rain. What had he gotten himself into?

Chapter Text

This could be better. Not only was Ethan trapped and surrounded by knives falling out of the sky, but he was stuck with a total killjoy who treated him like a nuisance. He could tell she was the type not to think too deeply into things, which was fine if she were a mark, but less good when he needed to count on her to keep himself safe. That meant the brains of the operation was him, and he didn’t really like having to put in the extra work that entailed.

Still, not like he had much choice. Ethan crossed his arms and considered things a bit. The rain and the tree had both been ‘sharpened’. What else could the enemy attack with? They were safe now, but no sensible opponent would give them breathing room.

Oh, I regret things . Ethan grunted in paint as a sudden stabbing sensation answered his question. The grass beneath his shoes had suddenly turned into little knives and immediately sliced into his feet, nearly severing his big toe. He staggered, but managed to avoid faceplanting, which was good because he didn’t want to die from acute grass stabbing. That was just embarrassing. “Shit!” Blair grunted, similarly suffering. “Lacuna Coil!” Blair held her hand up and sent a chain around a particularly sturdy branch, pulling herself up. As it coiled around the wood, it extended back down and wrapped around Ethan’s midsection, lifting him as well. How thoughtful.

“Well, that answers that,” Ethan muttered, grimacing. His footwear was in tatters, and his soles had been sliced up pretty badly. Most of the cuts inflicted so far were minor, but they were definitely going to compound if this kept up. “The enemy turned the grass ‘sharp’, too. This sure is a sticky situation, huh?”

Blair harrumphed. “Doesn’t matter. We need to get out of it. No point complaining about our lot. Any bright ideas?”

“Well…” Ethan said, rubbing his chin. “This person hasn’t ‘sharpened’ anything that’s on our person, because our clothes haven’t ripped us to pieces yet. Can we use that?”

It wasn’t much, but it gave Blair pause. “True. I wonder why that is. Could it be that the enemy can’t ‘target’ things like that so precisely?” Ethan shrugged as best he could while held in the air.

“Could be. Or maybe it’s ‘cause they don’t target at all, and they affect a ‘type’ of object. So they’ve affected each raindrop by making all raindrops in the area suck. And that means if they ‘sharpened’ our clothes, they’d slice up themselves, too, because their own clothes would be affected.” That actually makes sense, thinking of it. I bet it’s that. Not that it helps us now, but it’s good to know .

“Anyway, we can’t just stay here,” Blair said. “We need to get out. I can protect us from the rain by coiling my chains into some shields. Can you stop the grass from slicing my feet off?”

Ethan smiled. “Of course I can. I was just waiting for you to ask.” He summoned his Stand. “I’ll just ‘delay’ the moment where our feet touch the ground, and we can walk along the top of it without cutting ourselves.” Would that work? Obviously. Ethan knew his Stand perfectly well. As long as he could delay the ‘cause’ then he could negate the ‘effect’. He could delay the touching of the grass to stop it from cutting them at all, but if he delayed the cut itself, it would still appear eventually. That was the neat part of Dark Before Dawn; it was all in the timing, just like any good grift.

“Right. Let’s get out of here.”

---

The plan worked, which was good because the day as a whole was going to shit. Blair managed to coil her chains over their heads like a makeshift, disk-shaped ‘umbrella’ against the rain, and together the two of them walked across the tops of the grass, their feet never touching the razor-sharp blades beneath them. It was a pain, especially given how they’d already sliced up their feet, but they slowly made their way out of the park as the rain poured down.

“Okay, so now what do we do?” Blair asked. The sky showed now signs of giving it a rest, because clearly things couldn’t get easier. “There’s a cafe over there. Should we go in there and wait it out?”

Ethan shrugged. That would be nice, but there was a real risk of the enemy following them and attacking in an enclosed space, which would put them in more danger. Also any civilians, I guess . “If you think we can take them on while we’re indoors, sure.”

Blair scowled. “Obviously. It’s two against one, first of all. Lacuna Coil is strongest when the enemy can’t outrange my chains, too. Besides, you’ll be helping out, I assume.” Ethan didn’t roll his eyes, but the sentiment was there. “Let’s get inside and out of the rain before we get attacked in some new way.”

The inside of the cafe was kind of cute, he supposed. Ethan wasn’t big on the cutesy, frilly, pink aesthetic, but whatever, he wasn’t here to critique their fashion sense. Better was that aside from an elderly couple, the place was empty. This was a pretty out of the way location. “The question is, how do we anticipate the enemy’s movements and take them out before they attack again?” Ethan mused as they sat down. The server gave them an odd look, probably from the wounds, but he just shot off his classic charming smile and she let it go.

“We didn’t see anyone out there, so it’s likely they’re hiding as well,” Blair said, leaning her elbows on the table. “They probably aren’t immune to their own Stand power. Otherwise, they’d attack while the rain trapped us.” It made sense. The server, a pudgy young Japanese woman, gave them water. Ethan smiled warmly and said they’d need a bit to order, so she left to check on the other table.

“Do you suppose they’re nearby, then?” Ethan asked. It wasn’t necessarily likely, was the problem. The Stand had a huge area to affect all of the rain, but it wasn’t very powerful; the bladed droplets could only leave shallow wounds. Plus, it wasn’t very precise, because it seemed to only target ‘types’ of objects. That meant its range could afford to be pretty damn big. “If not, we may need to call on Rebecca to get her help finding them.”

Blair shook her head. “No chance. We’re here to keep her out of danger, remember? Dragging her here is stupid.” Ethan sighed. He reached down to take a sip of his water, picking up the cup, when suddenly he gasped in pain. A horrible slicing sensation went through his hand, and the tips of his pointer and middle finger were sliced right off.

“Shit!” he yelled. “Blair, the glasses have been sharpened!” There was a scream and a crash as the elderly man at the back of the room staggered back, his mouth gashed open from lip to chin. The woman beside him began screaming also. Ethan winced. Not great, but they’d live. More importantly…“The enemy must know we’re in here doing this in order to know that they could ‘sharpen’ these cups to attack us. That means they’re nearby, doesn’t it?”

Blair grimaced. Her wrist had been slashed and was dripping blood. “We can’t stay here without endangering these people. Is it still raining outside?” Of course it is , Ethan thought. It’s Seattle, so even though the rain isn’t very heavy, it’s frequent. We can repeat Blair’s trick, but for how long ?

“Doesn’t matter. Let’s get out of here before we get the whole place dismembered. Can you do that chain umbrella thing again?” Blair nodded, and the two of them hurried back outside. Trying to avoid getting rain in--and through--his eyes, Ethan peered up and around the area. The enemy must have seen them enter the cafe in order to attack them so specifically, but with how dark and misty it was under the rain, it was hard to see who might be around. Plus, they were probably hidden.

“Fuck!” Blair cried out, but before Ethan could respond, razor-sharp needles pierced his body. The wind had picked up, and the rain was now blowing sideways into them. Ethan winced in pain, immediately reacting by calling up his Stand.

“Dark Before Dawn! I’ll ‘delay’ the wind blowing. As long as we keep moving, I can ‘delay’ the wind around us, so the raindrops won’t blow into us.” The problem was, it was still temporary, because eventually the shifting directions would mess up his timing. Where is the enemy? How can we fight them like this ? 

There was a tiny clinking noise, and a sharp cutting sensation. Ethan grunted as more a series of blades fell onto him, passing straight through the shield of the chain coiled over his head. He staggered as one of the objects cut all the way through his shoulder out the other side. “Fuck!” he shouted. There, lying on the ground, was a pile of coins, mostly quarters. But how? They would have had to have fallen out of the sky to hit me from above like that? Is the enemy… ?

“There, on the roof!” Blair pointed. Sure enough, there was someone about two stories above them, holding what looked to be a big, plastic, circular table like an umbrella. They had short blue hair and were wearing a black and white striped shirt with a blue raindrop pattern on it. They had a black scarf over their mouth as well, which implied tremendous fashion sense. “So, they’ve finally revealed themselves!”

The enemy said nothing, but instead simply drew back behind themselves, as if preparing to throw something. But what was it? More coins? Some new object? They could make anything ‘sharpened’ so who knew what was coming? Ethan could only prepare himself to defend against the attack. Without further fanfare, the enemy let loose with whatever they were holding; a series of thin, concave disks, brightly colored in the rain.

Frisbees !

---

Blair managed to raise her guard. Ethan was too slow.

“ Adi Adi Adi Adi! ” With a flurry of strikes, Lacuna Coil deflected the frisbees. She swung a chain like a whip to send them flying into the pavement. The chain was sliced to pieces, as was the ground. Blair was unharmed, however. Her teammate wasn’t so lucky. Frisbees bit into his chest and stomach, and he fell to the ground in a spray of blood, clutching himself, not moving. Was he dead? She didn’t know. There was no time to check on him, though. He’d known what he was getting into. The enemy was already running away. Blair gritted her teeth.

“Lacuna Coil!” Blair sent up a chain into the wall and slung herself up. Vaulting through the momentum, she grabbed the ledge of the roof and pulled up. The rain cut into her a little. She ignored it. She had no choice but to stop the enemy here and now. “Hold it right there!” Blair shouted, sending out a chain at her foe.

The enemy responded quickly, flinging out more frisbees to defend. The chain knocked them aside, but it was still slowed. As a result, the enemy managed to jump out of the range. Instead, Blair pulled it out of the way and flung it off the rooftop. Damn, they’re fast , she realized. Luckily, the rain had already stopped cutting into her body. The enemy probably didn’t want to risk slicing themselves up. A good turn at the very least .

The enemy said nothing at first. They simply looked at her, tilting their head. “My name is Hecate, and my Stand is called Downplay. Woden Descartes offered me an extremely large sum of money to retrieve the Heaven Stone in this city,” they spoke at last. “Tell me where Rebecca Descartes is, and I’ll let you live. Otherwise, I’ll kill you just like I killed that other man.” Blair had to admit, it was short and sweet. No needless drivel or banter. Straight to the point. Wouldn’t make her spare them, but it was respectable.

“Her name is Locke. Becca Locke. She doesn’t belong to you, or to Descartes.” She turned half away from him, hands on her hips. “Alright, let’s do this! Lacuna Coil!” Her Stand appeared and rushed at them, fists raised. Hecate’s eyes narrowed behind the scarf.

“That’s not going to work against me,” they said, thrusting their arms out. But they weren’t just gesturing, they were also attacking. A hail of pebbles and stones flung from their hands straight at Lacuna Coil. Blair winced as her Stand punched away the stones, only to open deep gouges in her knuckles. Lacuna Coil recoiled and fell to its knees. “You can’t approach Downplay. I’ll simply slice you to pieces. If you’re not interested in helping me, then that leaves me no choice but to--what?!”

Chains erupted from the rooftop just behind Hecate. They lunged forward like twin snakes, grabbing Hecate by the shoulders from behind. This would stop them from throwing anything further. “You made a weak attack against me to throw me off-guard, didn’t you? Clever. You’re going to force my hand, you know.”

Hecate was lifted off the ground and into the air, but they were unphased. “My Downplay lets me make any type of object ‘sharpened’ enough to slice into someone that touches it. It can even ‘sharpen’ multiple things at once. You’ve probably noticed that I didn’t make anyone’s clothes ‘sharp’. That’s because Downplay would ‘sharpen’ all of that type of clothing, and all of us are wearing pants and shirts, including me.”

“So only now are you desperate enough for a suicide attack? You’ll die too, and that means the threat will be gone. Go ahead and try,” Blair retorted. But Hecate shook their head.

“No, I just didn’t want to cause needless collateral damage before. I like to keep things clean, you know. You see, my shirt is specially made in case I get pushed into a corner. It has  a seam in the back which will let me rip it off instantly. I can sharpen your shirt, and you’ll be cut into pieces, but I can just rip my own shirt off and escape unscathed while you die.”

“Oh no you don’t! Lacuna Coil!” But it was too late. She moved to use the chains to rip the enemy’s arms off. But before she could, an agonizing pain raced through her body. A thousand knives cut into her, sending blood everywhere. Hecate reached down with their arm and grabbed the shirt, ripping it off in one motion.

She’d lost again.

---

“Dark Before Dawn.”

“What the--?! Impossible!” Hecate exclaimed. Ethan, though badly bleeding, was standing behind them. His arms were crossed, one hand pointing at Hecate, smirking. Their shirt had not ripped off yet, but was still on their body. “How did you survive?”

Ethan gave an exaggerated shrug, palms up. “When I fell down, I dodged out of the way of the disk. I ‘delayed’ it cutting through my shirt, so it never touched me. Then, I allowed the wounds on my hands to start bleeding, so it looked like they’d actually cut me really badly.” He looked over at Blair. “Sorry to butt in, but it seemed awfully creepy that this freak was going to try to make you strip, so I figured I’d protect your decency, you know? So I climbed up the stairs to get here.”

Blair scowled. Her shirt had already begun cutting into her body. But she wasn’t ready to concede yet. “I didn’t need your help!” she snapped. Her heart wasn’t really in it, though. Especially with the involuntary flood of relief seeing him alive. “If you want to make yourself useful, stop Hecate from killing us!”

“I already did,” Ethan replied, tapping his head. “See, they mentioned that they have this fancy tearaway shirt they can use when they need to mess people up with their clothes? Clever trick. Would be a shame if something ‘delayed’ that shirt from tearing off, meaning they were stuck in it, don’t you think?”

“AAAAAGH!” Hecate’s body erupted in blood. They staggered as they tried desperately to tear off the shirt once again. However, this only caused their hand to get sliced up. Their index finger fell to the ground, severed completely. “No! I have to end the sharpening effect!” The intense, severing pain in Blair’s chest, shoulders, and back ended. She was still badly wounded, but she was alive. So was Ethan, and Hecate. However…

“You know, sounds like that means you’re out of tricks, eh Hecate?” Blair had already begun walking forward while Ethan spoke. Hecate looked between them, eyes wide. She’d brought out her Stand, and the chains around Hecate had only gotten tighter. “Why don’t we switch things up a little? You tell us everything you know about Descartes’ Stand, and we’ll let you off with a light beating. How’s that sound?”

Hecate shook their head. “H-he didn’t tell me much! I don’t know what he’s capable of exactly. All I know is that he seemed to have some kind of ‘control’ power. What he can control, and how, I don’t know.”

That’s not what I wanted to hear . Blair frowned. Becca had long postulated that Descartes could control the minds of others. He could simply talk to people in his weird private meetings. Immediately after, they’d come to work for him. Or sell their company to him, or other stuff. Blair was never so sure, but it was suspicious. “Well, if that’s all you know…”

“W-w-wait wait wait! Please don’t do the--”

“ Adi Adi Adi Adi Adi Adi Adi Adi Adi! Adios, asshole! ” Blair sent Hecate flying off the edge of the building. They fell, then crashed to the ground below in a crumpled heap with a groan.

Ethan smirked. “Well, that’s the end of that. Nice going.” He reached out to give her a high five. Blair sighed, and slapped her hand into his.

---

“Well, I’m glad to see you’re both safe,”  Becca said, adjusting her spectacles. The group had all gathered in the hotel room after the battle. Alice was currently reattaching Ethan’s fingers, having already healed Blair. “The good news is that the plan worked. Alice and I went unharried, and we managed to find the stone. It’s…in an office building in the downtown area.”

Blair nodded. She couldn’t help but notice that hesitation, though. “Good. Glad our sacrifice wasn’t in vain,” she replied. Ethan was lounging on the back of the wall as she spoke. He looked pretty pleased with himself. “So we’ll all go there as soon as we’re patched up?”

“Why stop there? It worked once before, let’s just do it again. We’ll have the whole team split up, and then Becca and one or two people can go to the office building and check it out.” Ethan said. Blair scowled.

This asshole thinks he knows everything. He must think he’s so smart and cool. He ‘saved my life’, and he came up with this plan. As if that makes him special or important ! “No chance. The enemy in the building is most definitely a Stand user. We can’t send Becca in alone.”

“Which is why one of us goes with her. Just one. That’ll make sure she has backup, but it’ll keep them from overreacting if they’re not an outright threat.” Joshua was sitting on the bed next to Maria. He’d been looking pensive this entire time, like something was on his mind. Something stupid probably, with nothing to do with the mission. “Only question is, which of us should it be?”

Blair stood up. “Obviously me. It’s my job to protect Becca, so that should settle it.” Maria frowned.

“Are you sure? You just got into a big fight. You may be healed, but you must be worn out at least a bit. Wouldn’t it be better for it to be me? My barriers can easily--”

“ No ,” Blair retorted. “I’m doing it. That’s final.” An awkward silence filled the air. Nobody spoke. Joshua seemed to be spaced out. Maria looked worried. Ethan rolled his eyes, and Alice just fretted off on the other side of the room. Becca spoke.

“Blair, I’m glad you want to protect me, but she’s right. You just had a fight.” She stepped over and held Blair’s hands. Blair blinked in surprise. Becca almost never showed affection like this around others. “Not to mention, I understand your eagerness, but if the goal is to be inconspicuous, I don’t want you to be so clearly worried while we’re there.” Fair. Blair would probably be giving them a glare the whole time. Just in case.

“Now, I already made contact with the individual holding the stone, and she seemed amenable to giving it up,” Becca explained. “I don’t expect her to be an enemy, so this is just a precaution. You shouldn’t have to worry about me too much, but just in case, it’s best to have someone fully charged to fight, don’t you think?”

Rebecca smiled, but Blair could alway see the concern behind her eyes. “You already got hurt in a vicious battle today. I’d like it if you took it easy, just this once.”

Blair sighed. Fine, she’d allow it. Only because it was what Becca believed was best for the mission. That was all that mattered.  “Okay. I guess. Then who should go?”

“I know who it should be,” said Maria. “They can do it, no problem.”

They discussed it a little more, but ultimately, this was the best choice. They agreed, and Rebecca left to retrieve the next stone.

Chapter Text

Rebecca was, at best, mildly concerned. Perhaps she was being superstitious, but she felt like things had gone too well so far.

While Blair and Ethan being attacked was certainly not the preferred outcome, they had fortunately emerged largely unscathed. In the meantime, Rebecca had finally located the stone in her research, and was now en route to meeting the person who possessed it. It was odd; they seemed quite happy to meet with her, and had already agreed to give up the stone, so long as Rebecca met her in her office.

The woman in question was named Isis, and she was the CEO of an AI research company here in Seattle. She was cheery and friendly, and for some reason Rebecca couldn’t help but be suspicious. She hadn’t even asked for compensation; she’d simply agreed, no questions asked. Was there an ulterior motive to Isis’ cooperation? Rebecca wasn’t sure.

Conversely, it would be irresponsible to look a gift horse in the mouth when she had a chance to retrieve the stone before her father. Rebecca sighed. It was still unpleasant to think of…that man. How he had used her power for evil against her will. Even now, he was surely plotting against them, him and his collection of high-ranking officers. Eden, Kaya, and Fuschia…what were their roles in this? Would she and her allies be attacked by those three at some point? Knowing how dangerous Eden’s Stand, Blackstar, was, Rebecca wished she didn’t know the answer.

Exiting the elevator and walking down the hall, Rebecca found it lined with full-sized portraits of various people in fashionable poses. Were these employees, or maybe friends of Isis? Was Isis showing off her influence by prominently displaying her associates? Perhaps. Rebecca could immediately tell as she approached that Isis was inside, for she was a Stand user. Unsurprising. She would need to be wary in case of any treachery.

The office was modern, with a light floor and a black rug, a wide wooden desk covered in picture frames facing away from the door, an ashtray, a lamp, and a computer. A full-length window was to Rebecca’s right, gazing out into the city. The back wall was almost entirely composed of a wide, full-length mirror. Seated at the desk with a wide smile was Isis, a tanned woman with brown eyes. She had old-fashioned red-rimmed glasses, black hair in a beehive style, and vertical white stripes on her cheeks. She was wearing a red overcoat on top of a white undershirt with a black bow tie.

“Rebecca! It’s so nice to meet you in person,” she said, smiling warmly. “Is it okay if I call you ‘Becky’?” Rebecca politely shook her head.

“Rebecca is fine, if you don’t mind. I don’t mean to take up too much time, so if you don’t mind, I’d like the stone.” She began to walk forward, but Isis held up a hand to stop her.

“Oh, there’s no rush, trust me. I cleared my day’s schedule for this, you know! After all, I’ve never met someone else who knows about this mysterious crystal, and I’d love it if you told me more about it. Where did it come from, and why does it exist?”

Rebecca frowned. She didn’t fully trust this woman, and she was always reluctant to reveal more secrets about Stands. This was definitely a case where she could minimize her comments.  “The stone is meteoric in origin, and nobody knows why it grants Stand powers, exactly. However, they are quite dangerous, which is why I’m attempting to gather all of them for safekeeping.”

“Oh, of course, of course!” Isis said cheerfully. “You’re a very responsible young woman, it seems. I admire that. Too many youths these days don’t care about anything, after all.” Rebecca maintained a neutral facade while Isis began flippantly rambling on about ‘kids these days’. It was a bit tiresome, but nothing unmanageable for her previous experiences dealing with well-to-do adults. She could bear this for the sake of the mission easily enough.

“Ah, I’m sorry, I’ve gotten off-subject! You need the stone, yes?” Isis smiled and bent under her desk, producing a small jewelry box, which she placed on the desk and popped open. The stone was inside, resting in its velvet interior. “Here it is! All seems to be in order, I hope?”

Rebecca nodded and began walking forward. “Yes, that’s exactly what I was--”

“Hold on!” Isis exclaimed. Rebecca stopped in place, almost stumbling.

“Sorry, please wait a moment,” Isis said, still smiling. “I’m very sorry, Becky, but I do have a favor you ask before you take the stone and go on your way.”

Rebecca adjusted her spectacles. What was this about? Is she up to something? She’s been nothing but accommodating, but looks can be deceiving, especially in the world of Stand users . “If it’s money you’re after, simply name a figure.” Isis shook her head with a chuckle.

“Oh, no, nothing so banal as that. I simply wanted to ask that you play a ‘game’ with me before you go.” She smiled. “It’s nothing serious, but I have a bit of a boring day-to-day life. I work, and then I go home. I don’t have anything to really aspire to, now that I’m a CEO, and my company is flourishing. So I find fun in doing little ‘games’ like this.”

Strange, but not unprecedented. Wealthy people often had eccentric tastes and interests, Rebecca had found. She remembered a CFO who would attend high-ranking dinner parties, and how they would dip everything they ate into their drink, including steak and salmon. Wealth certainly changed people, or perhaps strange people simply tended to accumulate wealth. Regardless, it was not unheard of for Isis to desire a ‘game’. “What are the rules?”

Isis folded her hands on her desk. “You see the mirror behind me?” Rebecca glanced past Isis. Indeed, that mirror took up most of the back wall, leaving only a small gap to each side. “I’d like you to retrieve the stone and leave without stepping in front of my mirror.”

Rebecca frowned. That was a difficult task, certainly. The mirror was large, and the stone was in the center of the room, directly in front of the mirror. Can I do that? It’s an awkward maneuver to make. However, I doubt I’ll be able to convince her otherwise. People like her are quite stubborn in getting their way, and I’m not sure anything can change their mind when they are set on playing a ‘game’ .

“I see,” she replied. “Are there any additional rules I need to keep in mind?” Isis nodded.

“Well, you can’t try to be clever and break the mirror, or anything else. Too much of a mess, you see!” Isis smiled. “Otherwise, you’re free to use whatever means you have at your disposal.” Rebecca folded her arms and considered.

“What if I lose?”she asked.

Isis shook her head. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll still give you the stone if you lose. It’s just a game for my personal satisfaction, that’s all. There won’t be anything that’s a bother to you as a result.”

That seemed reasonable enough. It was difficult to read Isis, but she didn’t seem to be planning to hurt Rebecca at all. Rebecca nodded and held her hands up above her head. “So be it. I accept your challenge. I will take the stone without being in your mirror.” With that said, she stepped to the right side of the room, next to the window, just out of line with the mirror. She would need to begin here to have any chance of enacting her plan.

Despite everything, she had a bad feeling about this.

---

Isis D’arby smiled to herself as little Becky Locke accepted her wager.

Competition ran in her family, after all. When her father disappeared in Egypt decades ago, she had been left to struggle with her mother. From a young age, though, she refused to let her circumstances get the better of her. As a teenager, she’d made money off of making bets with classmates, and as an aspiring businesswoman, she earned her considerable wealth by taking gambles on stocks and investments. And she always won. Isis D’arby never lost a bet.

“We’ve begun now, correct?” Becky asked, standing in the corner of the room holding her briefcase. Good, she understood the rules at least. Isis smiled.

“Yes, indeed! You can make your move whenever you like.” Isis replied, smiling with anticipation. The thrill of a gambit never faded for her. It was in her blood; her uncle was a master gambler, and her father loved a challenge just as much as she did. Isis hadn’t known the first thing about AI, but she’d gambled on it, taking a risky investment buying an AI company. Now, she was far wealthier than ever before. That was the ‘rule of life’; people who took risks and won were rewarded, while cowards and fools would inevitably fall.

Becky opened the briefcase and set the crystals within down on the floor while Isis observed carefully. How clever was this girl? That was always the question. A clever opponent was fun to challenge, but a dull enemy was amusing in its own way. Becky presented herself as a clever individual. Would she succeed at her task? Or would she fail? Isis did not know yet, and that gave her a complete thrill.

After a moment, Becky began walking towards the desk, still hugging the windowed side of the wall, eyes focused on the stone. “I can’t step towards the mirror to pick up the stone, so I’ll need a way of reaching the stone. I’ll be using this briefcase as a ‘scoop’ to pull the stone across your desk and towards me, without entering the line of the mirror at all.”

Isis nodded. Yes, that would do it, if she was able to execute it correctly. However, there was information Becky did not possess, which would certainly lead to her defeat if she continued in this path. Isis clasped her hands as Becky inched forward. She smiled to herself. Would Becky fall into her trap, or would she see it coming? Isis could not directly act now; her intervention, even moving a frame on the desk, would be cheating. Her uncle was a cheat, but not her. If she was going to defeat someone, she would do so by being superior to them in strength of will, rather than through underhanded maneuvers.

Just as Becky was about to be in position, she stopped. “Excuse me, but could I request a point of clarification regarding the rules?” Isis nodded, intrigued. “The ‘mirror’ I am to avoid…did you mean the large one, or the smaller ones?” Becky pointed. Sure enough, several of the framed ‘pictures’ on Isis’ desk were actually hand mirrors. “I’d like to confirm whether I need to avoid stepping into alignment with them as well.”

“Yes, I was referring to both. You’ll need to avoid all mirrors to proceed.” Isis smiled. Wonderful. Becky had detected the trap before it could be triggered. Now things were more interesting, because Becky wasn’t folding immediately. The question was, would she be able to overcome the obstacles in front of her? The hand mirrors were positioned to make it very difficult to approach the desk from either side.

Becky frowned. “I see. That’s more difficult. As another clarification, if I step in the way of a mirror, but am not reflected in it, does that disqualify me?” Isis shook her head.

“No. If you can somehow cover yourself to avoid being seen, then you will be fine.” If it was truly an impossible task, that would be boring. Isis didn’t aspire to create Sisyphian obstacles, but to prove her superiority by winning wagers legitimately. If she could defeat Becky, she would prove herself superior. That was all that mattered.

Considering for a moment, Becky unzipped the top of her tracksuit and removed it. With a careful motion, she tossed the suit over the nearby mirrors, the ones facing her, covering them up. Isis nodded. A sensible maneuver. “Yes, that would do it,” she said. Now she was feeling tense. How far would Becky make it before losing? Would she be able to see every trap along the way, or would she escape? Isis didn’t care if she lost the stone here. The ‘game’ was all that mattered.

Becky opened the briefcase and turned it over. Holding it out over the large desk, she placed the other side of the briefcase over the stone and pulled it towards herself. Slowly, carefully, avoiding any unnecessary movements that might give her away, she brought the briefcase back to herself and picked up the stone. “Is that satisfactory?” she asked. Isis only nodded. Becky stepped back from the desk and retrieved her jacket and put it back on. She then turned and began moving towards the door.

---

As Isis tensed in anticipation, though, Rebecca stopped. Something is amiss. I’m beginning to suspect this game isn’t so innocent, but it’s too late to back out now. I have to tread carefully. “Excuse me, but I have another question. You specified I need to ‘retrieve the stone and leave’ correct? How far do I need to go to win this ‘game’?”

“Well, you need to leave the building, of course,” Isis replied. “I have several security cameras throughout the place, so I’ll know whether you succeed or fail. And if you do lose, don’t worry about coming back. You have the stone, and I already said I won’t ask anything else of you.”

Rebecca nodded, sweat beginning to bead on her brow. The doorway was directly in the way of the large mirror, which seemed to pose one final obstacle for her. Could she shield herself with her briefcase? Her lower body would be cut off by the desk, so it was possible she could entirely hide herself. That seemed risky, but she didn’t have any better ideas. Rebecca slung the briefcase over her head and hung it behind her, before stepping into the way of the mirror, moving towards the door.

A chill ran down her spine. “I’m sorry, Becky, but you’ve made an error.” Rebecca looked over at Isis, who was grinning fiercely. “You covered yourself well there, but you couldn’t hold the briefcase to hide your fingers. They appeared in the reflection, so I’m afraid you lose.” Rebecca grimaced. She had hoped Isis wouldn’t be able to see, because she didn’t have a way of hiding her fingers like that. But it was no use. She’d lost.

Immediately, Rebecca knew something was wrong. She felt a weight in her body, like she was being held down. A shimmering figure had appeared beside Isis, whose grin grew feral. “I said there wouldn’t be a bother to you if you lose, and I wouldn’t ask anything of you. That’s true, you see; after all, you won’t be feeling anything now, so there’s nothing bothersome to experience.” Isis folded her arms, placing her hands on her shoulders and tossing her head back.

Dammit. She’s using her Stand on me. By winning this ‘game’, she’s gained some sort of power over me. I have to stop her ! Rebecca didn’t hesitate. She dropped the briefcase and, before it even hit the ground, pulled out her pistol and leveled it at Isis. This had turned into a life-or-death situation. She doubted that Isis was a follower of her father’s, but she was still a threat.

The figure behind Isis had fully manifested. It had a pink body, yellow lens-like eyes, and no mouth. Its chest had a large dollar sign in the center of it, and its arms and legs were striped with white mottling. On top of its head was an ornate tree-like contraption hanging with many mirrors. Rebecca didn’t have time to deduce its ability; though it wasn’t moving, she could sense that it was already on the attack.

“Take this!” Rebecca hissed, firing off three rounds from her pistol, aimed directly at Isis, who didn’t move. Suddenly, bullets emerged from the mirror behind Isis, colliding with Rebecca’s gunshots in midair, causing them to fall harmlessly to the ground. “What the-?!”

Isis smiled. “You’ve lost a ‘game’ with me, and so you’re powerless to stop my Depeche Mode. My Stand has detected the weakness in your soul that comes from defeat, and it has appeared to claim its debt. You fought well, and were quite clever; it was only bad luck that I was able to defeat you. Had your fingers been placed a little bit differently, you’d have escaped. I shall display you in a place of honor.”

The mirror at the back of the room was actually made of six panels, and one of them was showing Rebecca, holding her gun at it. As Rebecca prepared to take more shots, something shifted. The mirror image of Rebecca seemed to smirk malevolently, and suddenly it lunged out of the mirror, reaching towards Rebecca with a vicious grasp. Rebecca gasped, but took no time to panic; she immediately fired off the rest of her clip into the mirror image.

Nothing happened. The bullets simply phased through the copy, and didn’t even damage the mirror behind her, bouncing off harmlessly. The copy grabbed Rebecca by the arm and throat, twisting her shoulder and putting her into a headlock. Rebecca gasped and tried to struggle free, but she wasn’t able to break out of its grip. She was being dragged towards the mirror.

“When I defeat someone, I can place them in my mirror. You saw some of my previous opponents in the hallway here,” Isis said, relaxing in her seat. “You’ll sleep within forever, a trophy to my victory. I think it’s a great honor, really.”

It was no use. Rebecca couldn’t escape. She was being pulled in. All she could do was drop the briefcase; hopefully, one of the others would be able to retrieve it, and prevent this woman from capturing them or anyone else. As she was pulled over the desk, Rebecca fired one last shot at Isis. Depeche Mode deflected the shot with its fist, and the round embedded itself in the desk, leaving a smoking hole.

Then, Rebecca sank silently into the mirror frame. The surface rippled like water, before a motionless image of Rebecca appeared, frozen in place, arms crossed in front of her, hands at her hips.

---

Isis sighed.

That had been risky. She hadn’t been entirely sure what would happen; nobody had ever fought back so hard against Depeche Mode before. Unfortunate for Becky, that it availed her naught.

Isis sat back and turned in her chair, admiring her new portrait. She’d hang it in her office by the door, so she could admire it. Perhaps it was merely because Becky knew about this whole Stand business, but she’d never been so close to losing before. Isis always thought it was important to display humility, and she did that by honoring her worthiest opponents. The briefcase was still on the ground behind her, so she’d probably want to pick that up and take her stone. Perhaps with that, she’d receive a new challenger to--

An arm tightened around Isis’ throat, pulling her out of her chair. “Ugh-!” she gasped, struggling against the furry, armored fist. What on Earth is this? Who on Earth was this, to come into my office and manhandle me like I’m some kind of peasant ? “What?!” she gasped, struggling helplessly. She called upon her ‘power’, Depeche Mode, to attack whatever it was grabbing her.

As it swung out with a punch, the armored figure deflected the punch easily. Her power wasn’t as strong as this foe, it seemed. “You brute…” she grumbled.

“ Shut it, bitch, ” the figure said, voice metallic. “ I want to hear anything you have to say, you psycho. You’re trapping people in mirrors, huh? That’s your ‘ability’? ” The figure twisted Isis around to face her. It was standing on the desk, crouched, hands around her throat. How did it get in here ? Looking down, Isis saw that one of the figure’s legs wasn’t ‘actually’ on the desk. It was ‘inside’ of the desk, specifically it led into the bullet hole on the desk. Had it somehow ‘come out’ of that bullet?

“Who are you? What do you want with me?” Isis retorted. Now that she was so close to the enemy, she could tell that this was a Stand. So Becky had somehow brought a friend with her. That was clever; she’d been prepared for an incident. It hadn’t done anything to save her, of course, but it was clever. It seemed the ‘game’ was going to be featuring a Round Two.

“ My user was hoping it wouldn’t come to this. To be honest, he’s not confident he can win. But I am. Release Rebecca and the other people you’ve imprisoned with your Stand, or I’ll snap your neck ,” Feed the Wolf said, eyes burning. “ That’s all there is to it. Let them out, or I’ll kill you ,”

Chapter Text

Feed the Wolf was pissed .

Not only did this rich bitch imprison Rebecca, but she’d also trapped a bunch of innocent people? Stands were manifestations of the soul, which meant that deep down, this piece of work saw other people as possessions to be displayed. It was sickening. Feed the Wolf bared its teeth in a snarl as it awaited Isis’ response.

Isis gulped, staring Feed the Wolf in the eye. Then, she smiled.

“I’m afraid you’re mistaken. You cannot simply kill me. For you see…” She gestured over her shoulder at the mirror where Rebecca was depicted. “My prize’s souls have been unbound from this world by my Stand ability. As a result, if my ability ends, they will have no place to go. They will instead go on to the next world.”

“ So if I kill you, then Rebecca and everyone else will die?! ” Feed the Wolf’s eyes widened as she nodded, smirking. Shit. She’s even more of a monster than I thought ! “ Then how else do I get you to release them?! ”

Isis chuckled. “You don’t. Why would I give up my trophies so easily? What a silly concept!” Snarling, Feed the Wolf slammed her back into the wall behind her, and she gasped as the glass cracked. “Eek!”

“ If there’s no way to free them, then it’s better I kill you and let them move to the next life than leave them imprisoned forever ,” Feed the Wolf said. “ It would be a mercy, don’t you think? Just give me a reason why I shouldn’t, if I can’t get them back otherwise! ” This is a risky bluff. I can’t just kill all these people, regardless of how terrible their situation is. But I don’t need her to know that. As long as I can convince her to let them go, I can find a way out of this .

“You drive a hard bargain. I respect it, I truly do,” Isis said. She composed herself and smirked. “It is people like you and I, those who have ‘strength’, who take command of the world. That is a ‘rule of life’. Tell you what, let’s play a little ‘game’ ourselves. If you win, you can have your friend back. If I win, I’ll add you to my collection.” Her tone was even; if she was afraid, she was concealing it well. “How about it? I’ve never played a ‘game’ with a Stand before. I think it’ll be fun.”

Feed the Wolf considered. It absolutely didn’t want to play by Isis’ rules. Feed the Wolf, like its master, hated being forced to follow bullshit rules, and any game Isis proposed was sure to be bullshit. This was especially true for a battle. Joshua would have never beaten Zeus if he’d followed the ‘rules of battle’ Zeus had set and stood his ground. But in this case, Feed the Wolf had no choice. It couldn’t run or use force; if it did either of those things, they would lose Rebecca.

“ Fine. What is the ‘game’ then? What are the rules ?” Feed the Wolf snarled, slowly lowering Isis to the ground. She tutted and smoothed out her outfit.

“”I have a very simple ‘game’ in mind,” she said. “You see, little Becky was asked to leave the building without appearing in any of my mirrors, here. Why don’t you do the same?” She smiled. “Simply escape the building without being seen by any of my mirrors. If you do that, I will concede and release Becky.”

“ And if I lose? ”

“You’ll become my latest acquisition. Simple enough, don’t you think?”

Fuck, this is a dangerous deal to make. If this bitch imprisons me, what would happen to Joshua with his Stand sealed away? Since I’m a part of his soul, would he lose his soul? It could prove fatal to him. But I have to save Rebecca. Without her, this mission has no chance of succeeding .

“ Fine. I’ll do it, ”  Feed the Wolf said, crossing its arms. The Stand turned and faced towards the exit of the room, but Isis spoke up.

“Hold on, friend. There’s more.” She sat down at her desk. “You see, games must be fair, and your ‘ability’ could grant you an unfair advantage. If you want to play, you’ll have to agree to some ‘limitations’.”

Ugh, what now? How much has she figured out about my ‘ability’ If she stops me from using my special power, how can I win ? “ What ‘limitations’ are you asking of me? It wouldn’t be ‘fair’ to handicap my abilities completely, after all. ”

“Obviously, no breaking anything, for starters. Additionally, you should know that I can glean knowledge from the memories of those I’ve imprisoned.” Feed the Wolf glared as she continued. “Your name is Feed the Wolf, and you can phase into and out of objects, correct? That’s how you got in here, by hiding in an object on Rebecca’s person and slipping into the bullet she fired,” Isis explained. Feed the Wolf didn’t respond, unwilling to concede that she was correct. “You may use this power. However, you are not to completely ‘enter’ an object; some part of you must always be visible. You may also not pass through any surfaces to the other side, such as phasing entirely through an outside wall. Otherwise, the game is unfair for me.”

She folded her hands. “Furthermore, you have a user, correct? Did he enter the building since he arrived outside?” Feed the Wolf shook its head. Joshua was outside. “He is not to interfere in the game. If he did, it would become two against one, after all.”

So it could use its power, but not completely, and its master couldn’t interfere. That was workable, if unfortunate. Feed the Wolf nodded, and Isis smiled. “Good. Then let’s begin.”

---

The first order of business was getting out of the room. Luckily, Feed the Wolf had a plan for that already. The door was open, leading to the hall that connected the receptionist’s office with Isis’ room. The hall was lined by floor-length mirrors, which had once reflected her victims. Now, they seemed empty. Most likely, they’re primed to snare me if I get caught in any of them .

Avoiding the back mirror by phasing partway into the floor to lower itself, Feed the Wolf started by walking over to Isis’ desk and picking up the ashtray lying on it. It was small, round, and made of opaque black glass, and very ornate looking. Feed the Wolf examined it, nodded approvingly, and then set it upside down on the floor, scattering the ashes everywhere.

“ I can enter objects, but part of me must remain visible, correct? ” Feed the Wolf asked. Isis nodded. With that confirmed, Feed the Wolf then phased into the ashtray, placing almost all of its body inside of it, save for its hand, which poked out of the bottom, like the legs of a crustacean. “ Then I can use this ashtray like a ‘shell’ and crawl to safety. ”

Isis frowned, but said nothing. Clearly, it had found a way to maneuver properly, even if it was as embarrassing as scuttling about like a crab. It was also slow, which was unfortunate, but it worked. Feed the Wolf began making its way down the hallway, its exposed part--its hand--safely hidden underneath the ashtray itself. Normally, a Stand changing size required a lot of energy, too much to maintain at this distance, but Feed the Wolf could always resize itself to ‘fit’ in whatever object it possessed.

It was slow as hell, but it worked. Feed the Wolf was able to make its way through the door and down the hallway moving on its hand like it was Thing from The Addams Family. Within a few minutes, though, it had reached the receptionist’s room, with the receptionist in question currently on their phone at their desk. All the better for us, so that they don’t notice me. Of course, that doesn’t fix another big problem. Unfortunately …

The building was six stories tall, with Isis’ office on the top floor, and there was both an elevator and a flight of stairs. Unfortunately, the door to the stairs was closed tightly, and the receptionist’s desk, a curved piece of furniture in the corner, had a large mirror on the front. Trying to open that door is impossible without revealing myself. Dammit. I’ll need to take the elevator, but I have to figure out how to press the button first. This is unfortunate .

Luckily, it could still find a solution. Over on a small table across from the elevator was a potted plant, a fake fern of some kind. As Feed the Wolf made its way across the room and jumped up onto the table, it was able to slip from the ashtray into the flower vase. Shoving its head and arms out into the inside of the vase, it found exactly what it was looking for; glass beads, which were holding the fake fern in place. Feed the Wolf fully climbed its way into the inside of the vase before jumping up to the rim.

Hanging from the inside of the vase like a ledge, Feed the Wolf pulled up one of the beads and threw it over the edge. Though diminished in size, it was still capable of considerable strength, and the bead flew true, smacking into the ‘down’ button, and the door began sliding open. This is my chance, as long as I can get into that elevator . Feed the Wolf returned to the ashtray and quickly dashed its way across the room towards the elevator, just as the door began to close.

Fortunately, the receptionist was too engrossed in their cat video or whatever to notice. The elevator slid shut, just in time for Feed the Wolf to crash into the far wall. Mission accomplished, for now, but there was a lot more left to do. Namely the inside of the elevator was mirrored, too, but the button to go down still needed to be pressed. The bead was still outside, too. This was proving to be annoying, but Feed the Wolf still had a solution.

Only the back wall of the elevator was mirrored, so Feed the Wolf carefully placed itself next to the mirror, then partly phased into it through the floor, ensuring it was never directly exposed. It could then manipulate the ‘reflective’ property of the mirror, clouding it. After all, Isis only said it couldn’t break the mirrors; anything else was fair game. This would only work while it was inside the mirror, but that was enough. Feed the Wolf kept one foot inside the mirror while rising to its full size and reaching out across the elevator to press the button.

The elevator began to descend, and Feed the Wolf returned to its hiding place inside the ashtray. Once it reached the first floor, it would be able to scuttle to freedom and victory. That was the hope, at least. It was far too early to be optimistic, and especially too early to be careless. Feed the Wolf couldn’t afford to falter. For Rebecca’s sake and all those other people, I have to win here. I’m going to win this shitty game, and beat Isis into a bloody pulp for good measure!

While it was musing, the door opened, which was weird. The elevator shouldn’t be on the first floor already, should it? Was it this fast going up? Unfortunately, it got its answer right away, as a young Japanese man in a business suit and glasses stepped into the small room and picked up the ashtray. Shit, who is this?! Is he one of Isis’ accomplices? No, he’s only staring, and he looks confused; he’d have revealed me to the mirror if he wanted .

“Huh, what’s this doing here?” the man mumbled. Feed the Wolf mentally tensed up. It couldn’t leave the astray without revealing itself, nor could it break free. “Oh well, guess it’s mine if nobody else wants it.” Uh oh . Feed the Wolf could see that the floor they’d stopped on was the second, and they were now moving back up to the fifth. All it could do was wait until it had an opportunity to act. But that opportunity never came.

The man stepped out into what looked to be a typical modern office, with about a half dozen desks arranged in an open floor pattern, with a dividing wall between half of them covered in plants. There was a large window to one side, and on the other was a glass room that looked to be some kind of meeting room. The divider was lined with mirrors. The man walked over to what was probably his desk, sat down, and booted up his computer while setting the ashtray on the table next to him.

---

Fuck !

Feed the Wolf was trapped. There was a mirror directly across from it, and now it was stuck on this stupid bastard’s desk. What was it supposed to do now? From the sound of it, he didn’t seem to think it belonged to anyone, so it wasn’t like he would be bringing it anywhere to drop off. Feed the Wolf needed to get back to that elevator no matter what. But what can I do? There’s a mirror right there. I’ll be seen as soon as I try to move off of this desk .

This sucked, basically. If its user was allowed to interfere, Joshua could force his way up here and grab the ashtray, but of course that would be too easy, wouldn’t it? There was a small comfort that the man now seemed focused on his computer screen, which meant that if Feed the Wolf was careful, it could maybe slip away. But that would be tough, and the real challenge would be getting across the room and into the elevator again.

Feed the Wolf peeked out from under the ashtray, trying to observe its environment. It was sitting on a computer desk, one of eight in this room, near the wall. In addition to the guy who took the ashtray, five other people were sitting in the office, three guys and two girls, all working on something at their computers. Feed the Wolf frowned. If it tried to move away on its own, people would notice and pick it up, and it’d be up shit creek. If someone left the room and went to a lower floor, it could hide on their person, but none of them seemed like they were planning on leaving anytime soon. Now what?

“How are things going…Jason?” Isis’ voice suddenly caught Feed the Wolf off-guard, and it immediately hid itself back under the ashtray. When had she come down here? To taunt it? Feed the Wolf could tell that in truth, she was addressing it, especially with what she said next. “You look like you’re a little stuck. Are you struggling with that task I gave you?”

Jason, the man at the desk, seemed puzzled. “No, everything is fine. I’ll have that report done in a few minutes. By the way, is this yours?” Suddenly, the ashtray was picked up and held in the air. Feed the Wolf winced, struggling to hide itself inside of it to avoid any mirrors. “I found it in the elevator when I was getting up to stretch.”

“Oh, no, it’s not mine. You can have it, I think. It’ll look lovely as a little decoration on this desk.” The malice dripping in Isis’ voice was palpable. The ashtray was set back down, and Feed the Wolf snarled. “By the way, do you need anything? I don’t want you to get distracted from your work. A coffee, or anything?”

“Sure, get me a black coffee if you don’t mind,” Jason replied, adjusting his glasses. Feed the Wolf sighed. As much as it wanted to lash out at Isis, doing so would only cost it the ‘game’ and that was more important than anything else. It just had to make a plan and execute it. Luckily, Feed the Wolf did have a plan. It began to sink its way into the desk, hoping to move to another area. 

Just as it began to move further down the desk, Isis put her hand down in front of him, still smirking as she pretended to lean on the table to study Jason’s computer screen.

“ You won’t get away with this, you know. I’m going to break every bone in your body, you sick fucker. ” Isis just chuckled and walked away.

“Are you still thinking of escaping?” she asked. “I’m glad you’re not giving up yet. I despise quitters, you see. Even though you have very little chance of winning, it wouldn’t be an enjoyable victory for me if my opponent is weak-willed. What I most desire is strong opponents, you see. People who defeat ‘strong opponents’ become strong themselves. That’s a ‘rule of life’. And you are clearly quite strong, which I respect.”

“ I don’t care what you think of me, ” Feed the Wolf growled. It didn’t want to speak to her any more than necessary, even if she was complimenting it. It has slid its way into the desk now, but it wasn’t able to move out of Isis’ sight. “ I wouldn’t worry too much about beating me though, because that’s not going to happen. I’ve already got a plan, and there’s no way you can beat me. ”

“Hmph. We’ll see about that.” Isis turned around and began walking away, stepping back into the elevator. Feed the Wolf locked eyes with her, staring coldly as she stepped into the elevator.

---

Hmph. Fool. There’s no chance of him defeating me. He is strong, but I am stronger, and that is all that matters. The greater ‘willpower’ will win, and by defeating strong enemies by having greater will, I enhance myself and become stronger. That is a ‘rule of life’ . Isis mused. She turned and looked at the button, prepared to go back up to her office and continue monitoring the situation from the comfort of her private space.

Suddenly, Andromeda ran into the elevator, looking frantic and flushed. “Oh, hi Ms. D’arby! Sorry, I’m heading to the ground floor, is that okay?” Isis nodded. She was in no rush, nor was she in the habit of disputing those useful to her. Andromeda was one of her employees, and a skilled programmer, though she was also a bit anxious. She was Latina with long black hair and glasses, carrying her purse, and she was eagerly tapping her foot as she hit the button.

“Did something happen?” Isis asked. Andromeda was really worked up for some reason, and Isis had a bad feeling about it as the elevator began to descend. A voice answered, but not the one she expected.

“ She got a love letter telling her to meet them outside of the building, ” Feed the Wolf said. Isis’ eyes went wide as the Stand’s head popped out of the purse. “ She’s been getting desperate for a boyfriend, since all her friends are getting married. ”

“What?!” Isis exclaimed. Andromeda gave her an odd look, and she shook her head dismissively, taking her phone out of her own purse to fake a phone call. “Huh? How did you know that?” she asked, composing herself.

“ While you were talking to your employee, I ‘entered’ the desk and started snooping around for someone I could trick into coming down to the bottom floor. I saw that she was texting someone on her cell phone about her problems. So I used Rebecca’s cell phone-- ” it held up the phone, shrunk down to fit in its hand--” to send an anonymous text. I feel a little bad lying to someone, but I have no choice. Really, it’s your fault. ”

“When did you-?!” Isis exclaimed, clearly caught off-guard. She shook her head. “It’s no matter. We’re already on the first floor, but you won’t make it out of the front door.” Sure enough, the elevator door opened, revealing the office lobby. It was relatively small, with a wide set of doors leading into an empty space. At the wall across the door was the desk, and behind it was a wall of arches at the back of which was the elevator.

This is it. The home stretch. I just need to get out of that door and this bitch will be as good as done for. It was by no means a sure thing though, because there were almost certainly mirrors out in the lobby when it walked through. As long as this Andromeda followed the instructions of the letter, though, it would easily be able to escape.

“Not so fast,” Isis said softly as Andromeda began walking out the door. “You’re a clever one, but not clever enough. And more importantly, you’re forgetting that I’m in charge around here.” She turned to Andromeda and called out sweetly, “Where are you going? You’re still on the clock, aren’t you?” Andromeda froze and turned around suddenly.

“Oh, uh, sorry, ma’am! I’m on break, I just needed to meet with someone outside briefly, if that’s okay? It’ll only be a moment.” Isis shook her head.

“There’s no need for that. I’ll speak with them for you, so just head back upstairs and I’ll fill you in as needed. I’m already heading out for a bit anyway, so it’s no trouble.” Feed the Wolf could tell that this was not just a request or an offer, and Andromeda sensed it as well. Her entire body drooped, and she began walking back onto the elevator. Shit, I can’t stay here. I need to get out on this floor !

Feed the Wolf gritted its fangs. If got brought back up to the fifth floor, Isis would never let it out of her sight again, not for a moment. This was its last chance, or everything would end here.

Chapter Text

Shit. I’m so close to winning this fucking ‘game’, but I have one last hurdle. The person I rode down here is going back, and I don’t have anywhere to hide on this floor !

Feed the Wolf dropped through the bottom of the girl’s purse, using her moving leg to hide from the mirror on the back wall, and slipped into the floor, before darting over and around one of  the columns of the arches. It could see its user loitering outside, legs crossed and hands behind his head, waiting patiently for his Stand to arrive. The problem was, it was on one side of the lobby, behind the arches, and there was a large open space between it and the doors. There were definitely mirrors in that area, but Feed the Wolf couldn’t see them from here.

“As soon as you accept defeat, I will win, and your soul will become mine,” Isis said as she stepped over near Feed the Wolf, whose head alone was poking out from the floor. “I have to admit, you’ve made it very far, and I’m rather impressed. Your willpower is quite strong. All the more satisfying for me when I break it.” She smiled sadistically.

“ Hmph. We’ll see about that, ” Feed the Wolf replied. It wasn’t planning on giving up so easily. It just needed to make it past the receptionist’s desk, through the lobby, and out the front door, and it would win. The problem was, it couldn’t see the area it was entering, which meant there could be traps in there. There would definitely be traps, actually. Still, Feed the Wolf had an idea. A risky one, but it couldn’t think of another way to cross the room safely.

Feed the Wolf began to climb, sliding its body into the column of the arch and rising up to the ceiling. There was a chandelier style light at the center of the lobby, and if Feed the Wolf could climb up there, it would have a clear line of sight across the entire room. As it reached the ceiling, sure enough, it was able to safely slide along the ceiling until it could drop free on top of the chandelier. So far so good. Now, how do I get out of here ?

There were no ground floor windows it could break through from the looks of it; just the front door, a fancy double door with a big, flower-like transom window above it. The door itself had mirrors on its front, and it could also see that the entire receptionist’s desk was mirrored, meaning as soon as it stepped into the room from basically any angle, it would be caught. Luckily, it didn’t need to ‘step’ into the room to get out of here.

Feed the Wolf jumped off from the chandelier, tumbling like an acrobat before landing deftly on top of the frame of the door. Up here, it was just out of sight of any of the mirrors lower to the ground, including the one on the door. “What are you doing up there?” Isis asked, crossing her arms. “Remember, you aren’t allowed to break anything, nor are you able to phase your entire body through it to get out the other side.”

“ I can’t break this window, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get through it, ” Feed the Wolf smirked, glancing around to make sure nobody else was watching. It reached out and put its hand into the frame around the window and began to manipulate it, causing it to become ‘softer’. Softening an object like this made it pliable and malleable, and Feed the Wolf was able to begin bending the marble surrounding the window, peeling it open like the tab on a soda can. As it did, it worked its way around the edge of the window, pulling the soft stone away from the frosted glass disk. Feed the Wolf then pulled the window pane free from the wall and gently set it on top of the doorframe. There was now a small but perfectly serviceable opening into the entryway of the lobby leading outside.

“ I think that should do it. Goodbye, Isis D’arby ,” Feed the Wolf said, jumping down into the vestibule. There were no mirrors inside from the looks of it, so the way was totally clear. Feed the Wolf grinned and began walking towards the final exit, the door leading outside, where its victory awaited. Suddenly, it froze.

“ What? What happened ?” it said as its body froze up and it could no longer walk forward. There was no mirror in this vestibule, so why was it stuck?

“Game over,” Isis said gleefully, stepping into the room through the door. “Look above you, friend.” Feed the Wolf complied, and sure enough, there was a mirror, on the ceiling of all places, reflecting it clearly from above. “You had me worried, I’ll admit, but I knew all along that the mirror I’d installed up there would never allow you to escape. You were doomed from the start.”

“ You bitch! ” Feed the Wolf turned and raised its fists to strike. Before it could though, familiar arms reached out from above and grabbed it under the shoulders, holding it in place. A smirking facsimile of the Stand began lifting Feed the Wolf into the air, towards the mirror, and no matter what it did, Feed the Wolf couldn’t break free. “ You’re done for now, you know that?! ”

“I don’t think so. Farewell, my newest trophy. You were an admirable opponent, and I shall treasure this victory forevermore.”

With one final snarl of rage, Feed the Wolf disappeared into the mirror, frozen forever in a flexing pose, as Isis simply stood on and laughed. Outside, Joshua slumped motionless onto the pavement.

---

It had been a difficult battle, Isis had to admit, and the tension of coming so close had begun to make her sweat a bit. But of course, her sanctum was invincible, and her cunning had won out in the end. Isis was able to relax, with two new treasures for herself. Her most powerful adversaries, conquered with ease. Could anyone stand against her in her games?

Isis had the mirror on the ceiling brought up to her office, and someone had called an ambulance to pick up the lifeless body of Feed the Wolf’s user Joshua. With his soul imprisoned, he’d doubtless waste away to nothing. A pity, but that was the price he would pay for challenging her. This was a ‘rule of life’.

Isis set down her newest prize on the wall next to her desk to admire it. Becky and Joshua had friends; Maria, Alice, Blair, and Ethan. However, none of their abilities would pose as much of a threat to her as Joshua had. No doubt they would challenge her to save their friends, but with her precautions in place, they would have no chance of defeating her. She would relish the opportunity to collect even more Stand users and gain their knowledge.

This information she had collected about Descartes was interesting, too. With the briefcase of stones now on her desk, Descartes would surely send his allies to find her. Would they fall to her games? How much power and knowledge could she accumulate by winning? The possibilities were endless. Isis smiled into the motionless image of Feed the Wolf.

“ MUDA!!! ”

Moving lightning-quick, the mirror picture of Feed the Wolf pulled back into a striking pose, and punched Isis in the face. She could only stare in shock as her nose and cheek caved in and she was sent flying back, smacking hard into the window of the “What the?!” she exclaimed, clutching her bloodied face as Feed the Wolf stepped free from the mirror, hands on its hips. “I beat you! I imprisoned you! You can’t just walk out of the mirror after I trap you!”

“ Says who ?” Feed the Wolf asked, smirking as it slowly began walking towards Isis. “ I believe you said I would become your ‘latest acquisition’ if I was defeated, but that doesn’t mean I have to obey you or anything. I refuse to be your prisoner, and you don’t have the power to force me to stay. ”

“B-but, that’s impossible! Your very soul should be bound by the defeat you accepted, and forced to remain!” Isis stammered, trying to stand up, but she was too injured. Feed the Wolf kept coming.

“ I never accepted defeat, just because of my ‘ability’. I can phase through objects at will, remember? I knew as soon as I understood your ‘ability’ that I could escape it freely. ” It snarled. “ My name is ‘Feed the Wolf’, and no mere object can trap me! ”

Isis stared helplessly as Feed the Wolf loomed over her. Of course , she realized. If it can simply ‘phase through’ any object, it should be able to escape from the mirror, even though it lost, so long as it wasn’t bound by ‘defeat’ in its heart. That means …“So I never had a chance of defeating you, is what you’re saying?!”

“ Exactly. From the moment you challenged me, I knew I was going to win. I only played along for the sake of my pride. But I never had any intention of losing to you, even if I got caught! ” Feed the Wolf smiled viciously. “ All that time you were so sure you could defeat me, and yet, I had all the cards from the start! ”

No, this can’t be! Isis tried to crawl away, but she was stuck against the wall. Nobody can exist that can defeat me so completely. Did I really never have a chance of winning? Was he truly toying with me all this time? That’s not possible! I’m Isis D’arby! I never lose! I…I can’t… !

The weight of her failure crushed Isis’ heart, and she screamed as she broke. The mirrors in the room all shattered, and tumbling from the frames came the unconscious forms of the people trapped within, over a dozen in all. One of them was Rebecca, who lay collapsed in the corner by Isis desk. Feed the Wolf smiled.

“ It looks like you’ve accepted your fate. You never had a chance of beating me, so you must be feeling pretty down, huh ?” It reached down and picked up Isis by the collar of her dress. “ Let me make something clear before I go. If you ever, ever use your ability on someone to trap them again, I will find out, I will come for you, and I will fucking kill you. Understood?”

Isis could only nod meekly, utterly devastated by her abject failure. Feed the Wolf smiled. “ Good. Now, here’s one last parting gift .” It lifted up its free fist towards her face, and she closed her eyes in anticipation, trembling in fear at last.

“ Muda Muda Muda Muda! WRYYYYEAAHHHH!!! Muda Muda Muda Muda MUDA!!! ”

---

Ugh, what a pain in the ass.

Luckily, Joshua had managed to fake collapsing after his Stand was ‘sealed’; since Feed the Wolf wasn’t really trapped, it didn’t do anything to him, but he couldn’t let Isis know that. The unfortunate thing was mostly that he scraped his arm on the sidewalk in the process, and now it was sore.

At least he’d won. Feed the Wolf brought Rebecca down to the ground by sliding her out the window and carrying her, and he’d called the police on an ‘anonymous’ tip for the rest of the people in Isis’ office. He’d checked Isis’ computer and she’d kept logs of all of her ‘victims’, so that would make things easier. Not much more that could be done, but at least they weren’t her prisoners anymore. And they’d gotten the stone, which was pretty good. That made four, which was halfway there. Yay.

Rebecca woke up by the time she reached the ground, but she was a little out of it, so Joshua supported her back to the bus stop where everyone was waiting. Alice was healing his abrasion while he explained everything that had happened.

“Why didn’t you call for us?” Blair asked, frowning. She’d been holding up Rebecca since they’d arrived.

Joshua shrugged. “Didn’t need to. Anyone else getting involved would only put you in more danger.” After all, Feed the Wolf alone was immune to Isis’ Depeche Mode Stand, so bringing anyone else into the situation was only going to get themselves hurt. Maria looked  disgruntled by this, and he couldn’t really blame her, but it was the truth. Doing this alone was the best way to do it, and it had worked out.

“Right, so we’ve got the stone then?” Maria said, perking herself up. “Where to next, then? We’re going…south, right?”

“Obviously. We’re about as north in the US as we get,” Blair snipped. Maria ignored her.

“Yes. We’ll be traveling to Salt Lake City,” Rebecca said, sitting up in Blair’s arms. “Due to our previous situation on the airplane, we’ll be taking a car. I will be renting one under a fake name and identity, so Descartes shouldn’t be able to locate us off of that.”

“You know, I could just do it. The guy shouldn’t know I exist, right? If he’s so obsessed with looking for you, a fake name might get caught, but nobody will bat an eye for me, right?” Ethan said. Rebecca rubbed her chin.

“A good point. Very well, does anyone have any objections to this?” Joshua shook his head. Seemed sensible enough, assuming they trusted Ethan, and they didn’t have reason not to. Not yet, at least. He hadn’t exactly lied about anything, despite keeping his cards close to his chest. He seemed to be honest where it mattered, which was the important thing. Everyone had their secrets, after all.

After they returned to the hotel and Maria left to go swimming with Alice, Joshua wasn’t thinking about the mission. Everything had worked out, basically, so there was no use in stressing over his various mistakes right now. Instead, he was still thinking about his dad. Jotaro had told him that a while ago, and he’d tried not to get too bogged down in the idea that his father was alive while the mission was ongoing, but it had crept back in now that they had some peace and quiet.

It sounded like he had lost the use of his legs, so he hadn’t been able to take care of Joshua anymore. All because of a stupid motorcycle accident, Joshua had been abandoned to his shitty aunt and uncle to be ‘cared for’, if that’s what you called it. He scowled at the hotel floor. Life was just unfair sometimes, and there was nothing to be done about it. All he could do was struggle through it. At least now, he had Maria, and Alice, and the others. Joshua had spent so much of his life with just Feed the Wolf for company that this was kind of strange.

“Right. When we’re all prepared, let us depart and begin our investigation elsewhere,” Rebecca said. Joshua laid back on the bed and closed his eyes. They were over halfway there, by his reckoning. They’d retrieved the stones in Descartes’ possession, as well as the ones in New York, Chicago, and Seattle. That left three more. What would they face off against in hunting after the rest of the Heaven Stone? Only time would tell.

---

“Did you see my report?” Eden said, sauntering into Descartes’ office.

“Report first. Then we’ll discuss things,” Descartes replied, standing in front of his desk, flipping through his notes. He already knew what had become of the situation involving his daughter and the rest of her companions, but procedure was important. If things were not done in the proper way, everything would fall to chaos and confusion.

“Yes, of course.” She didn’t apologize; he hated apologies. They were wasteful and only used by weak people to regain power when they ought to simply accept their fated fall. “Hephaestus managed to crash the airplane, but was incapacitated without harming any of the group. Hecate was also defeated and is in the hospital with numerous broken bones, so they’re out of commission. Finally, Isis D’arby, the owner of the stone, was forced to relinquish it to the children. She’s been dealt with, of course. Permanently.” The same as Zeus, then. Descartes was pleased. He hated loose ends and uncontrolled people. The people granted power by the stones were a risk to leave alive. So he hadn’t.

“I see. Thank you, Eden,” Descartes replied. He turned away and set the papers on the table. “To answer your question, I saw your report. You were able to contact that individual. They agreed to our terms, of course. They will relinquish the stone without contest, and in return we will leave their little organization alone. They also assured me that their order was certain to defeat Rebecca’s group. We have nothing to fear. However.”

He crossed his arms and faced Eden again. “They believe our plan is functional, so we’ll be going through with it anyway. Just to be safe, and to ensure we control the situation.”

“The power over fate…” Eden said, before smiling wickedly. “Your Stand and mine together can take control over destiny itself?” Descartes nodded and stepped forward, summoning his Stand. It was tall and lean, with a green, scaly body with gray pads on its joints and stomach. It had a lizardlike head with large eyes, and a long, lashing tail like a crocodile. This was Empire of Steel.

Descartes had possessed his Stand ever since he killed the Fang couple, when they found the stone. In close combat, their Stands had been no match for him, though he preferred not to fight directly. Its power was esoteric; it allowed him to ‘control information’. He could touch something with his Stand and learn its secrets, a form of telemetry. He could also manipulate that information, changing it slightly.

In truth, despite what he knew his daughter believed, it could not control minds. But it could unravel the dirtiest secrets of his enemies, forcing them to comply for fear of being shamed and ruined. If all else failed, he could simply rip their knowledge out of their minds and use it himself. But against these foes, this power was weak. He had no choice but to resort to more drastic measures.

This is where their inquiry had taken them. Eden summoned a black hole in the middle of the room, a pitch-dark sphere. The gravity well was contained, controlled by her Blackstar. This was Eden’s power; the power to control gravity, and to create black holes. This incredible ability was given to her by Descartes, and she was perfectly deadly at using it. But violence was only one use for this Stand’s special power, and Descartes had another idea for how to put it into place.

Gravity. A natural force which draws objects with mass together, inexorably. The power of gravity was universal, affecting even light and time. Light, time…and fate. Fate was a force in the universe just like time, drawing people and events together without fail. And yet, fate was not immutable. Fate was affected by gravity just like everything else. And like the effect of gravity on more massive planets, drawing things into their wells, the souls of Stand users were stronger, more ‘dense’. As a result, gravity pulled them together, inevitably tying their fates together.

This is what brought Joshua Jordan and Maria Ella together with Rebecca and Blair. This force was what Rebecca’s Stand utilized to sense the ‘gravity’ radiated by other Stand users. This force was what Descartes needed to exploit to ensure his victory. This force, Eden could control, at least with Descartes’ help. Individually, they lacked the power to control fate. But as gravity and information combined to create the concept of fate, their control over these two things could control that force.

Descartes stuck his Stand’s hand into the black hole. His arm stretched infinity into its event horizon, crushing the bones in his hand, but that was an acceptable price. He remained unphased as he channeled all of his Stand energy into the black hole, concentrating on his and Eden’s own information, their own fates. He focused through the pain, manipulating it. He felt the force of gravity begin to bend around his hand and arm, warping to his will.

“It is done,” he said at last. The black hole vanished, and Descartes slumped to the floor, breathing heavily, all of his energy consumed. “Our fates are set.” He gave a rare smile to Eden, who smiled back. It was satisfying, despite his fatigue, to feel assured of his victory. His Stand had confirmed the information; the facts were undeniable. Empire of Steel was never wrong, and now, it was invincible.

“It is destined, written immutably in our fates. Together, the two of us will kill every last member of my daughter’s group.”

Chapter Text

Everyone was being kinda weird.

Maria knew Jojo had gotten some big news from Jotaro about something, so that explained why he was being moodier than usual. That he hadn’t told her was kinda out of the ordinary, though. Plus, Blair seemed pretty grouchy for some reason, focusing intently on the road as she drove, and Rebecca was even more quiet than normal.

At least Ethan, who up until this point had been pretty talkative, hadn’t changed much or anything. That filled up the conversational space a bit, even if it was only Maria responding. “Hey, so you guys are from New York City, right? Are all of you Yankees, or just some?”

“Oh, just me and Jojo,” Maria replied. “Alice is from Pittsburgh, and uh, I’m not sure about the others.” She glanced over to the front seats where they were sitting, expecting them to, you know, give some kind of response or something? But they didn’t say anything. Maria sighed. “Hey Rebecca, where are you two from?”

“Boston, where Descartes’ office is,” Rebecca replied. She didn’t elaborate, so Maria just looked back at Ethan and smiled.

“Well, there you go. What about you? Where are you from?”

“I’m from LA,” Ethan said. “It’s a nice city. I prefer it to New York, personally, no offense. But I travel around a lot for my job, so I don’t go home very much. Since one of the stones is out in California, I guess we’ll be getting pretty close, so that’s kinda nice.”

That was true. The stones remaining were in Utah, California, and Boston. Huh, that means one of them is pretty close to Descartes, doesn’t it? That’s kind of worrying. I guess he hasn’t figured it out, somehow? “Hey Rebecca, since there’s a stone in Boston, shouldn’t we have gone there first? If it’s so close to Descartes’ HQ, you know?”

“No, he doesn’t know it’s there. I told him the final stone was in Florida, and he has no means of verifying that without my Starset’s help,” she replied. And that was it. She had nothing more to say, apparently. Maria just kind of awkwardly trailed off.

Thinking about it, it made sense. Maybe it was better for Maria not to press it too much. Instead, she’d just try to keep the conversation going. Hopefully, the good vibes would liven up everyone’s spirits, or something. “So Ethan, what do you do for work, actually? I don’t think I’ve asked.”

“I’m just an independent contractor,” Ethan said. “I do odd jobs in computing and stuff, so I get asked to move around a lot to maintain servers and stuff. I may not look it, but I’m pretty good with computers.”

Maria nodded. “Cool. Jojo’s a contractor too, but he does like, labor stuff in the city. I’m a student, myself. I’m studying sports medicine!” Jojo turned to look at her, like he was about to say something, but then cut himself off. He was probably feeling kind of left out, but still not up to chat. Poor guy.

“Oh, cool. You gonna be a doctor then?” Ethan asked. Maria shrugged. I’m not 100% sure where my career path is going to take me, but I’m excited to find out! Once I get a real job, Jojo and I can be roommates or something. That’d be pretty sweet, since we already spend so much time together .

It was kinda weird thinking about the future, with how much was going in the present. Maria could really only take it one day at a time, until their little adventure was over. Would she miss it one day? The traveling, being with friends, all the good that came with the bad? I have no freaking idea. I guess I’ll just have to find out, huh .

The conversation went on for a bit, about nothing really important, before evening fell and Maria closed her eyes.

---

“Joshua, can you grab my headphones in the back?” Blair asked him. He sat up and grabbed the pouch. Unfortunate, since he’d just been about to fall asleep, but whatever. He passed them to her. She didn’t thank him or anything, just put them in her ears and started blasting music. Typical. She was so closed-off. Joshua got it, but still, a little courtesy would be nice.

The ride had been quiet for the past couple of hours. They’d left at noon, and they were almost there, so it was probably approaching midnight. Maria had dozed off a while back, as had Rebecca. With Blair cutting herself off, that left him and Ethan, who also seemed awake. And observing him.

“Hey, mind if I ask you a question? We’re about 20 minutes away, so I figure you may as well stay awake until we get there,” Ethan said. Joshua raised an eyebrow. The question seemed sincere enough; he was starting to understand Ethan a little better. He was the type to keep things to himself, which Joshua could relate to. But Joshua still didn’t feel like he could totally open up to this guy, and he wasn’t sure how to approach someone like that, even if he wanted to. He’d realized from the girls that being tough and abrasive didn’t make things easier, that much was clear.

Still, I guess I can try to play along with him for right now. “Yeah, sure. What is it?” he asked. Ethan nodded.

“I get if it's kinda personal, totally. I was just wondering what was bugging you this whole time,” Ethan asked. Joshua frowned. “I mean, clearly you’ve got something going on, and it’s not the mission from the looks of it, so I figure it must be something else.”

Did he want to answer? Not really. Joshua didn’t feel like talking about his dad, even with Maria. And if he wasn’t sharing it with her, he definitely wasn’t sharing it with anyone else. Joshua sighed and shook his head. “Sorry, it’s personal. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Ethan shrugged. “Sure, no prob. If you do wanna talk about it, I’m all ears.” He slumped back in his seat and put his hands behind his head. Joshua was kind of surprised by how easily the guy gave up. He didn’t try to press further, or anything. Most people didn’t let things go when they had a question. They kept asking and pushing, and it always annoyed him. Even Maria did it sometimes.

“What, really?” Joshua asked, looking fully over at Ethan. “I mean, you asked me something, don’t you want an answer?”

He just shrugged again. “Not really. I was just curious. Figured I could help out by listening. Not trying to pry or anything, it’s not really my business, y’know?” Joshua frowned. Sure, that made sense. It was a reasonable perspective, obviously. But something rubbed him the wrong way. When Ethan put it like this, it didn’t really seem like a big deal. Nobody else would hear it. He didn’t expect any sympathy, and that was what would bother him. So maybe it couldn’t hurt.

“So I, well, I don’t have parents,” Joshua explained. Ethan opened his eyes and glanced over at him. “They died in a motorcycle accident when I was little. Except I just learned that my dad is alive, he just ended up permanently disabled by the accident.” He sighed. “So I’m just trying to figure out how to feel about that, you know?”

“You’re not used to getting things, rather than just…not having stuff,” Ethan replied. His tone was softer than before. Joshua blinked in surprise. “It’s understandable. It must be rough, being in that kind of position. I’ve got a big family, parents and three siblings, a ton of uncles and aunts, even more cousins…” he smiled. It looked sad. Sympathetic? “I’m sorry about all that. I’m glad you may be adding someone to your life, though.”

Joshua blinked. Where was this coming from? Is he being serious? Is he mocking me? No, there’s no reason for him to do that, despite his personality. But this feeling …Joshua bit his lip. “I guess. I’ve never really thought about it like that. But yeah. At least I’ve always had my Stand, and when I met Maria, that was nice.”

Ethan nodded. “She seems like a good friend to have around. It’s nice that you’ve got her in your life.”

Okay, now this was definitely getting weird. “Where are you going with all this?” Joshua asked. Ethan blinked, seemingly surprised by his tone. “Are you getting something out of this?”

Ethan shook his head. “I mean, not entirely. You just seem like a cool guy, and you seemed down so I wanted to cheer you up. I don’t like being around people who are moping; I can barely handle Blair and Rebecca being so dour right now. There’s no chance of them chatting me up, so I figured I might as well try talking to you.”

Okay, so there was an ulterior motive. That made more sense, then. “I guess,” Joshua replied, looking down at his lap. For some reason, he felt a little disappointed. Ethan laughed.

“Hey, don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t want you to be down, either. As great as I am, it’s not all about me, you know.” Joshua looked up at him, unsure of what to make of that. He just kind of sat in silence.

The rest of the ride was without incident, or really anything. Ethan didn’t ask him any more questions. Joshua was kind of glad about that. It left him to think about Ethan. He didn’t know what to make of it all. Was he really just being nice for the sake of it? Because he cared? Joshua couldn’t be sure. It made him uneasy, like there was a tension in his gut. He didn’t understand. Despite everything, Ethan seemed…caring. Joshua wasn’t sure why, but none of his concerns seemed to land right. He was starting to feel like he could trust Ethan.

“Okay, I’m going to bed. G'night,” Maria said, stretching as she laid on the floor. Joshua and Alice got the beds this time, which was nice. He had a feeling he wouldn’t be sleeping very well tonight.

And he didn’t. He tossed and turned, half-awake and dreaming about his father, faceless and immobile. What was he like? Where was he? Joshua didn’t know what to think or even to hope for. There was a part of him that didn’t even know if he wanted to meet his father, after all this time not knowing him. Did it even matter? Would it make him happy? Did his dad still love him, even now?

“I propose we engage in our previous tactic,” Rebecca said as they ate breakfast at the hotel. The city wasn’t as big as Seattle or Chicago, of course, but it was a lot dryer, and warmer. Joshua was not having a good time; he couldn’t stand the heat like this. His air conditioner back in his apartment was one of his most prized possessions, so he was already drinking a lot of water. It tasted like shit.

“What do you mean? Like, the thing where we pair off?” Maria asked, eating some cereal. Joshua had barely touched his food.

“Exactly. In this case, I shall travel with Blair for my protection. Ethan, you and--”

“I’d like to pair with Joshua, if that’s cool,” Ethan said. “I’m not much for fighting, to be frank, so I’d rather be with someone who I can, you know, support.” He was slumped casually in his chair. His posture never seemed to be good. “Maria can protect Alice that way, too.”

Maria frowned. “But Jojo and I are always together.”

Joshua looked at Ethan suspiciously. What was he playing at, pulling a stunt like this? It was weird. Joshua could always just decline. But at this point, maybe it was better to keep an eye on him, rather than leave him with Alice. “Sure, I’m fine. Maria, we spent the past few days together, we can split up for a bit. I trust you to keep Alice safe.” Maria nodded reluctantly.

Once they got a little food in them, albeit not that much, they set out. As usual, Rebecca would be scanning for the stone with her powers, while the others would act as decoys. Apparently, the rock was somewhere in the wilderness surrounding the city. While Rebecca suspected it was in the nearby Wasatch–Cache National Forest, in order to be sure, they were being thorough in the city to start.

Fingers crossed that nothing went wrong? Eh. It wouldn’t help.

---

Joshua was real cute.

Not just physically--though he was for sure Ethan’s type. As they went around the city window-shopping and loitering, it became clear that despite his quietness, wasn’t some delicate, soft-spoken meek guy. There was real depth here, real potential.

“So, what do you like to do? When we’re not saving the world, I mean,” Ethan asked after a little while of walking. Joshua shrugged.

“I dunno, not much. I have a job, so I do a lot of that, but it’s freelance, so I have a lot of free time. I guess…” he considered. “I read a lot, I suppose. I like books. Is that weird?”

Ethan lit up with a smile. Perfect. This was exactly what he was looking for. “Heck no, I love reading. I don’t usually bring paper books along on my trips, since they’re such a pain, but I love it when I’m at home. And I have tons of books on my phone.”

“Oh, okay, cool,” Joshua replied, a little off-guard. “I don’t like the feeling of reading on my phone, but I read a lot of sci-fi, classics and modern. The classic stuff is my favorite personally. Do you know Gene Wolfe? A lot of people say his work was formative to the genre, but he’s not very well-recognized, which is kind of a shame. Their work can be kind of grim, but I actually like that personally.”

That got him going, completely. It was surprising, seeing how quickly Joshua began talking, and how much. Wolfe, Capek, Wells, he was a big fan, even more than Ethan, who mostly read modern stuff. He hadn’t expected Joshua to be so passionate, that was for sure. “Uh…sorry,” Joshua said after a little while, turning his head away. “I didn’t mean to uh, you know.”

“Hey, no problem,” Ethan said, gently putting a hand on Joshua’s shoulder. “You’re good. I like when passionate people talk about things they like. It’s much more interesting than small talk, if you ask me.”

“Passionate?” Joshua said. He didn’t move away. “I guess. I’ve always loved books. I wasn’t…well…” he trailed off, finally removing Ethan’s hand. Ethan raised an eyebrow.

“What’s wrong?” He had a feeling, but prying would get him nowhere. Still, he’d seen the look in Joshua’s eyes before. Regret. “You can tell me, you know.”

“I uh…” Joshua muttered, turning away entirely. “My parents died when I was young, like I said yesterday. I got raised by my aunt and uncle, and they…well, they didn’t love me, to be frank. They tried not to feed me, or buy me clothes, or do stuff for me.” His voice grew quieter as he spoke. “I was just a burden, after all. I wasn’t their kid, but my aunt’s sister’s. I just came into her life and made her take care of me, and she didn’t appreciate it.”

Ethan scowled. Poor Joshua, having spent his whole life without somewhere to belong. Ethan was a drifter, a vagabond, but he’d always been able to go home when he needed to. And he always knew how to fit in, no matter who he was with. Joshua was a tough guy, but lonely. He seemed genuinely surprised that Ethan found him interesting. Not that that’s bad. I prefer complicated men to boring, goody-two shoes ones.

Now seemed a good time to try to support him. Ethan gave Joshua a hug. If the guy pulled away, that was fine, but he just let it happen. He’s not hugging me back, but that’s fine; I wasn’t expecting him to return the gesture. “That’s awful. You may not have been her kid, but she was still your family, and I’m gonna be blunt, that’s shitty of her. I have a big family, actually. Parents, yeah, but also two brothers and a sister, plus five aunts and four uncles, like fourteen eighteen cousins, plus all of their partners and stuff. It’s a lot. Family reunions are nuts, let me tell you.”

Joshua’s eyes went a little wide as they separated. “That’s crazy. That’s so many people. Do you like all of them?” Ethan shrugged.

“Some of them are annoying as hell, but I put up with them. They’re family, after all. You’re supposed to look after family, you know? You fight, but you make up.” He shook his head. “‘Course, some family can’t exactly be forgiven. Your aunt, for example. You shouldn’t be acting like she has an excuse for treating you badly. You deserved better.”

As Ethan expected, that elicited a reaction. “How can you tell?” Joshua said. “You don’t know her. Or me, for that matter. You don‘t know if I’m a nuisance, that nobody wants around for good reason. Can you be sure of that?”

“What, do you think I’m stupid? Or Maria, for that matter?” Ethan replied, tone light despite his harsh words. Joshua looked taken aback. “I can tell. You’re a good guy. You’re smart, and strong, and dedicated. You’re the only one here that trusts me, and I trust you back.” Ethan didn’t particularly care if people trusted him, obviously; he was here to make a paycheck. He was a criminal by trade. Of course he was suspicious, even if they didn’t know those particular details. But that just meant he knew to value trust when he saw it. To him, if trust was sincerely given, breaking it was a worse crime than anything he’d ever done.

They kept talking for a little while,

“Ethan,” Joshua said at some point. Ethan stopped on the sidewalk. “Why are you being so…you know?” He’d also stopped, with his arms crossed, and his expression was, for lack of a better word, cross as well. “You’re being weirdly chummy with me. You were like this last night, as well. What’s the deal?” 

Oh, this is a little bit of a tough question. The fact is, I’m attracted to him, and I want to ask him out, so I’m testing to see if he’s interested, and showing him that I am . Ethan put a hand to his chin. How to approach this? Honestly, or with deflection? Being too straightforward would only make Joshua more uncomfortable, clearly. The guy just wasn’t used to this kind of play. Of course, Ethan knew that no good relationship was built on lies. There was a good way to express himself without necessarily being too forward.

“It’s simple, really,” Ethan replied. “I like you, that’s all. You’ve saved the day multiple times since we met, and I admire you. I want to get to know you better. If I’m making you uncomfortable, well, I’m sorry about that.” He folded his hands behind his head. “To make it up to you, why don’t we go and get dinner? I was planning on doing that anyway, honestly, but we could do it together if you like.”

Did Joshua get the hint? They’d spent all day together, surely he could figure this out. He just rubbed the back of his head. “Sure, I suppose. Should we invite the others along as well?” Hmm, or maybe not. Ethan shook his head.

“I think it’s too risky for all of us to meet in public. We can order something to bring back to the hotel for them, instead.” Joshua agreed to that, and the two of them loaded up on a bus to make their way further downtown.

---

“It’s been fun hanging out today,” Ethan said as they sat down. “I know we’re here for the mission and all, but that’s no excuse to not enjoy the road trip, you know what I mean?”

Joshua shrugged. “I guess. You sound like Maria, honestly. She’s been thinking of this like it’s some kind of ‘adventure’ the whole way, you know what I mean? As long as we’re taking this seriously when it matters, I guess it’s fine.” He sighed. “Truth be told, I’ve never been the most adventurous type. I’ve always just kind of lived my life and tried to stay out of trouble.”

“You sure got yourself into some big trouble this time, being honest, “Ethan said lightly. “Seems like we’re lucky, having someone with a good head on their shoulders keeping us in line. Especially since you’re so damn strong, you know?”

That got a little bit of a reaction. Joshua turned his head away. “I don’t know about that. I’m definitely not the strongest person here. And you’ve had plenty of good ideas too, right? This whole splitting up thing has been pretty effective at keeping Rebecca safe, after all.”

Ah, there was the deflection. Joshua really wasn’t the most self-assured sort of guy, was he? A pity. “Well, who is the strongest, if not you?” Joshua looked at him, surprised.

“I mean, it depends, doesn’t it? Maria’s Stand is stronger than Feed the Wolf in an outright fight.” He stared out the window of the bus. “And Rebecca is smarter than me, plus we’d never find the stones without her. Nobody else can heal like Alice. I doubt any of us are as committed as Blair, and her Stand has a lot of reach.You’re…well, I don’t know you that well, but you’ve been really helpful in our fights so far, too. Don’t sell yourself short, either.”

“I dunno. You have a point that the others carry their weight, but I think you’re the most dependable person here. I think I can count on you. I’m not much for fighting, myself, you know.” Ethan smirked. “I like to think of myself as a trickster sort, you know? Brains more than brawn. I mean, you’ve got both going for you, so there is that. Not to mention looks, and personality.”

Joshua blushed, and didn’t say anything for the rest of the trip. Ethan might have gone a little too forward there, but it’d be fine. The guy just wasn’t used to hearing such nice things about himself. Maybe from Maria, but he seemed to take her words for granted. It’s cute though, how self-conscious he can be. I can’t stand arrogant people or people that don’t think about things clearly, but I can respect him.

He has integrity. Hopefully, things pan out between us. We’ll see .

Chapter Text

They finally got off of the bus and entered the restaurant. It was some kind of fancy Italian place, and Ethan had already made reservations, so they went and sat down. The decor was casual and homey. The menu was expansive. And expensive. “Jeez, this is a lot of money, isn’t it,” Joshua mumbled. “I’d never go somewhere like this back home.”

“Well, it’s my treat, so don’t worry about it.” Ethan replied. “I love eating out at different restaurants. It’s one of my favorite things to do while traveling. We should try it out more while we’re on the trip.”

Joshua nodded. “I suppose. Thanks. Since you’re paying, is it okay if I get this?” He indicated a steak.

“Go for it,” Ethan replied. “I’m more of a pasta man, myself. Hey, did you know that in Italy, they don’t eat spaghetti and meatballs? That’s an Italian-American creation.”

“Oh, like how fortune cookies are Japanese?” Joshua answered. “There’s an authentic Chinese restaurant I go to sometimes, and every so often someone asks about them and they get offended. Personally, I’m not a big eater, but I like to treat myself sometimes. I don’t really like fast food, though.”

They talked about international cuisine, especially Korean food since Ethan’s family was Korean, for a while until their food arrived. It smelled delicious. For some reason, Joshua needed two steak knives, one to hold the meat, one to cut. Weird, but whatever, everyone had their quirks. “Like I was saying, I’m kind of a big foodie. You travel a lot, you get to try a lot of cool foods, you know? My favorite is when--”

Ethan stopped as, all of a sudden, Joshua plunged the steak knife directly into his own mouth.

---

“Woah!” Ethan exclaimed suddenly while Joshua was busy eating his meal. Suddenly, the fork froze in place as he tried to eat his food.

“Huh? What are you doing?” This was clearly Ethan’s Dark Before Dawn at work, delaying his hand, which now trembled in midair. “Ethan, I’m trying to eat my steak.”

“Joshua, don’t put knives in your mouth. I know your aunt didn’t do much for you, but surely you learned that much?” A knife? This was weird. Joshua let go of the fork and let it clatter to the ground.

“This is a fork, Ethan, what are you talking about?” Was this some kind of weird dialect thing? Joshua had to admit, before this point he was having a good day today. Nothing bad had happened, and Ethan was actually kind of nice to be around. He was smart, interested, and more considerate than Joshua had expected. Which made this weird prank or whatever it was all the more baffling.

“No, it’s not a fork Joshua, what are you talking about?” Ethan asked, leaning across the table and holding up two more forks. “See, one is a fork, one is a knife. You can tell the difference, right?”

Joshua shook his head slowly. This was getting weird. “No, that’s two forks. They’re the same utensil. What are you going on about?” As Joshua looked around though, something did seem off. There were a few other people sitting at the restaurant, some staring at him. But he could ignore that, unfortunate as it was. The real question is, why is everyone using two forks? They’re even cutting their food with them. That’s definitely odd .

“Joshua…can you not tell the difference between these two utensils?” Ethan asked. He looked sincerely worried. This definitely wasn’t a prank or a joke. Ethan was absolutely serious. “If not, there may be something wrong with you.”

Joshua stood up, shoving himself back from the table. “I can’t, no. Something is definitely going on.” He crossed his hands. “We should leave to avoid making a scene,” he said. Ethan obliged. As Joshua moved around the table, though, he noticed something else weird. The room seemed…weirdly empty. Then, something hard slammed into his leg, and he was thrown off his feet, face-planting hard enough to make blood spurt from his nose. “Shit!” he exclaimed, pushing himself up to his knees. “Someone just hit me!”

Ethan looked really weirded out now. “Uh, no, Joshua. You tripped on a chair, that’s all.” Joshua looked around. There was definitely no chair next to him. Could it be like the forks? He reached out slowly and put his hand into the air. This time, he touched something with his fingers, something hard and made of wood. It felt like a chair. Did that mean he could no longer perceive chairs in the room? Joshua looked around.

Now that he looked more carefully, for some reason, everyone was in a seated position, but they were hovering in midair. Joshua didn’t understand. Was this a Stand ability? “The chairs have all disappeared. Everyone is sitting in thin air…” Joshua said quietly, looking over at Ethan. Something was definitely wrong.

“You can’t see the chairs either?” Ethan muttered. “You could be under the effect of a Stand. It looks like it’s making you unable to perceive certain objects correctly. The enemy must be nearby if that’s the case.”

Great. I was having a nice time having dinner with Ethan, and now this. How unfortunate. Joshua looked around. He didn’t see anyone suspicious around him right now, but that didn’t mean anything. Gaia had disguised herself very effectively while attacking them remotely; the target could be anywhere. He could try to bait them into revealing themselves, maybe? More importantly, fighting someone indoors puts the people in this building at risk. It’s too risky to confront them here.

Ugh. What a pain. “We should get out of here,” Joshua said. Carefully picking his way around the seemingly-floating people, who were now definitely staring at him. Ugh. Joshua hated being the center of attention, especially when he was making a fool of himself. “Whoever the enemy is, they’re going to regret messing with me now,” he mused. Ethan just laughed. At least someone was still having fun.

Joshua and Ethan arrived outside of the restaurant and looked around. It was evening now, though the sun wasn’t quite set, and the street was rather busy with people on the sidewalks and cars in the road. That wasn’t good. How was he going to figure out where they were from here? This isn’t like the airplane or inside a restaurant, where it’s an enclosed space. I can’t easily pick up on the enemy’s reaction with so many people around .

“Joshua, do you have any idea how to find the enemy?” Ethan said, running over to him. “What do you think is happening, anyway? It seems like your ability to ‘perceive’ stuff is being messed with, doesn’t it?” As Joshua looked over at him, Ethan smiled. Joshua took a breath. 

“I think it’s ‘visual agnosia’. They’ve removed my ability to identify objects by sight. I can’t accurately ‘perceive’ certain things, namely the chairs and the forks in the restaurant,” Joshua explained. He bit his lip. How far could this ‘attack’ go? What if he lost the ability to ‘perceive’ other things?

“Hey, c’mon.” Ethan said, putting a hand on Joshua’s shoulder. He hadn’t realized how tense he had become. “Don’t panic, dude. We got this. You’ve fought way more dangerous enemies than this, and you had my help. We’ll kick their ass in time for dessert, okay? We got this.” He smiled warmly. Joshua sighed and closed his eyes. Ethan was right. He couldn’t afford to panic at this moment. Because his mind was being affected, it was an even more terrifying ability than Hades, Zeus, or Isis had used. But he could still fight it.

All he had to do was find the enemy and take them down as hard as he could. “Okay. Let’s think rationally then. The enemy must be nearby, and they’re probably alone, or we’d be under attack by multiple effects at once,” Joshua said, folding his arms. “They must have a good line of sight into the restaurant to target me with the effect, and they can’t be moving around too much, because they need to stay near me to maintain their power.”

Ethan nodded. “Sounds about right. There’s a lot of buildings around here. Think they’re in one of them?” Joshua nodded. That seemed very likely. The question was, where? Joshua looked out across the busy intersection, trying to spot anyone suspicious. An older couple holding hands, a young woman pushing a stroller, a group of teenagers loitering outside a building…

There.

---

“There’s someone up on that roof!” Joshua said, pointing. Sure enough, a figure was standing on top of the roof, one which looked like a curvy woman in a flowing blue dress. She was standing there, staring down at him, smiling. There, that wasn’t so hard. Just like Ethan said . There was no time to waste. The road was empty, so Joshua could run straight across it until he--

“Joshua, no!” Joshua froze in place as Dark Before Dawn took hold. A faint gust blew past his face “There’s cars, Joshua! Don’t just run into the road like that!” Cars? Joshua didn’t see any…oh. No wonder the street was so eerily empty.

“I can’t see the cars, Ethan. But if I wait for the crossroad, she may escape. Any ideas?” 

Ethan nodded and thrust one hand out. “I don’t have to get you across the road, but over. I’ve got a great plan, it’ll be both effective and hilarious. The best kind of tactic.” He glanced up. “I don’t see anyone there. She may have fled. We’ll have to move quickly.”

“Right, so what’s this plan of yours?” Joshua crossed his arms. ‘Hilarious’ wasn’t really a priority for him, to be honest, but at least Ethan wasn’t too stressed. “Let’s focus on defeating the enemy, and we can have fun later.”

Ethan smirked. “You need to launch yourself into the air across the road. I’ll use my Dark Before Dawn to ‘delay’ you falling. You’ll keep flying through the air until I end my Stand’s power and you land. It’ll attract some attention, but that’s the fastest way.” Joshua sighed. What an ostentatious way of doing things. Flying through the air like some kind of superhero. The worst part was, Ethan was right. Joshua couldn’t see or hear the cars coming by, though rationally they had to be there. Crossing the road quickly was almost impossible like this.

“Okay. Let’s get this over with. Feed the Wolf!” Joshua channeled his Stand’s leg into his own and pushed off the ground, launching himself several meters up and over the road. He hadn’t realized just how precarious this situation would be, and staring down into the road, he could only gulp in fear. As soon as gravity took hold and his stomach lurched from beginning to fall, though, he stopped. Instead, he drifted forward across the road, his leap continued unabated. For a moment, it really felt like he was flying.

Joshua landed safely on the other side of the road, legs shaking just a little. Okay, he had to admit, that was pretty cool. Plus, it actually worked. “Nicely done,” he called out to Ethan, who gave him a cheery thumbs up. Joshua sighed and turned back to the building. Going up the stairs was a pain, so he’d just have to circumvent that, too. “Right, then. Feed the Wolf! Carry me up to the rooftop!”

Feed the Wolf appeared, grabbing him by the wrist and slinging him over its back like it was giving him a piggyback ride. With a grunt, the Stand dug its hands into the wall, partially ‘entering’ the surface, and then began climbing up as fast as it could. Feed the Wolf wasn’t the quickest Stand, but it was still able to ascend the multi-story building in only a few seconds, depositing Joshua onto the edge of the roof, where he climbed up the rest of the way.

“Perfect. Now, where is the enemy?” Joshua looked around. The rooftop was mostly barren except for the vents and the doorway down, so it didn’t take long to spot the woman standing on the other side of the roof on the edge. “Hey, you. Stop right there.” She didn’t respond, or even turn to look at him. Joshua narrowed his eyes. “Who are you? Are you with Descartes?”

Still no response. Was she ignoring him, or was this a trap? “Identify yourself and release your ability and I’ll let you off lightly. Otherwise, you’re in for it.” She didn’t even tilt her head. How unfortunate. Joshua wasn’t sure he wanted to risk sending his Stand away from himself, but maybe staying over here was safe. “Feed the Wolf, are you ready to attack? Do you think I should come with you, so you can defend me?”

The Stand shook its head. “ No, it’s dangerous over there, I’m sure. If I’m attacked, I can disappear into the roof, but you’d be in trouble. ” Right, that was probably a smart move. “Fine, then. Go, Feed the Wolf!” His Stand obliged, rushing forward with arms raised, prepared to pummel this woman before the fight could truly begin.

She flew away.

Stepping forward, the ‘enemy’ stepped off the ledge, spread her arms, and took off, flying away into the air, out of reach of Feed the Wolf. The Stand hesitated in midair, almost losing its balance, shocked. Joshua himself could only stare, wide-eyed. “ What?! ” Feed the Wolf exclaimed, staggering backwards. “ Impossible! She can fly, as well as inflict ‘visual agnosia’ on people? That doesn’t make any sense! ”

Sometimes, a single Stand can possess different abilities that share a connection or goal, but flight has nothing to do with deceiving one’s senses. How can she just take off like that? I must be missing something! “ Joshua, behind you! She’s there! ”

“Shit!” Joshua whipped around, drawing his knife out of his pocket and lunging forward. She was right there, only a few feet away, standing on the edge of the roof behind him. Had she teleported? Did she fly there? What was this?

There was no time to think things through. If she was this close to him, she could attack with her Stand while Feed the Wolf was still on the way. Joshua had to make a decisive move now, before she could retaliate. He didn’t intend to kill her, but one knife wound wouldn’t be fatal. With a grunt, Joshua slammed the knife down into her chest as hard as he could. 

It went straight through her. He felt no skin, no cloth, no meat or bones. Nothing. His hand just passed straight through. Her body didn’t even shimmer or anything. It was like she didn’t exist on the same plane of existence. Joshua staggered, thrown off-balance by his attack missing. She dashed further back from him, moving away from Feed the Wolf and towards the center of the rooftop. “You’re not getting away!” Joshua snarled, jumping towards her.

Wait, something’s wrong. She’s standing near the center of the roof, but the center of the roof should be behind me, because that’s where Feed the Wolf is. So where is she, really? It really looked like she was standing in the center of the roof, but seeing from Feed the Wolf’s position, he could also see that the space behind him looked like that, too. Which was it?

Suddenly, Joshua’s feet left the ground. “Huh?” Joshua barely had time to make a noise before he started falling. It was surreal; as if passing straight through the surface of the roof, he found himself tumbling through the air, facing towards the open, empty street. Somehow, he’d gone off of the edge of the roof.

What the fuck?! Where am I? Why am I falling? Joshua had been in the middle of the roof, hadn’t he? Had the enemy somehow deceived his perceptions again? Maybe he’d been unable to perceive the edge of the roof, so he’d lost track of where he was? That could be it. Not that it mattered now that he was falling to his death, but it was something.

“Feed the Wolf!” Joshua called, but it was no use. She couldn’t hide his Stand’s position from him, so he knew Feed the Wolf was on the other side of the roof. It wasn’t fast enough to reach him. He was going to faceplant into the concrete below him. There was nothing for him to try to grab or interact with. Shit. This is unfortunate. Is there anything I can do?

Joshua braced for impact.

---

“Got you.”

The fall ended, not with an impact, but with…nothing? He just kind of…stopped. His body was still parallel to the ground, eyes wide and facing the sky, but he wasn’t falling anymore. Instead, Joshua hovered about 6 feet up. Ethan spoke up from somewhere beneath him. “Jeez, be more careful next time, okay? Here.”

The fall resumed, and Joshua landed softly in a pair of arms, cradling him securely. “There we go. Be more careful, okay?” He now found himself staring up at Ethan, whose smile seemed a little more forced this time. There was a brief moment where neither of them said anything, and Joshua found his face heating up.

“Yeah, I couldn’t see the ledge. I think they made me ‘perceive’ something else as themselves,  to trick me into going up there while they escaped.” Joshua managed after a moment. “I…uh…thanks. You can uh, put me down now.” He hadn’t realized Ethan was so strong, but despite his lean build, he felt very safe being held up like this.

Ethan obliged, setting him down, and Joshua settled himself. “Yeah, I saw you jump off the edge towards a bird, so I think the enemy made you perceive ‘birds’ as ‘herself’. They’re clever, for sure. If we’re not careful, they could easily send us into another trap.” Now that he looked up again, Joshua could see multiple instances of that woman, standing on power lines and walking around. That’s probably a bird, then. They’ve replaced my ability to see birds by making them appear like that. Still, that might be the enemy’s true form, so it’s not nothing .

Joshua nodded. “We still need to figure out where the enemy is.” Joshua tried to focus. Ethan being here helped; having his eyes made him feel safer. Knives, chairs, cars, birds, rooftops? What next? How could he defend against this ‘attack’? “Do you see anyone suspicious, Ethan?”

“Ethan?”

No response. Joshua glanced over at where Ethan had been standing just a moment ago. The sidewalk was empty. Not just of Ethan, but now that Joshua was looking, there wasn’t anybody left on the street.

He was alone.

“Oh, no,” Joshua muttered. This was bad. Very bad. Joshua could fight enemies by himself; he had defeated Hades alone, after all. But this was different. He was incapable of perceiving others at all, maybe not even his enemy. What was he meant to do now? How was he supposed to find the target? Joshua was sweating now, looking around, trying in vain to force his senses to open up further. It was no use. He was almost totally helpless.

If Ethan was here, he’d tell Joshua not to panic. That they’d win no matter what. Joshua took a breath. Right. He couldn’t afford to lose his cool. This was far more terrifying than any of his previous fights. He couldn’t perceive his enemy at all, and it felt like the world was closing in on him. But he had to tough it out. Joshua closed his eyes and stuck one arm out, palm out.

“Feed the Wolf, what should we do now? How do we find the enemy?” Joshua asked. The Stand didn’t possess any knowledge that Joshua didn’t, but at this point, any additional perspective would be helpful. Unfortunately, Feed the Wolf looked just as confused. 

“ I’m not sure. If we’re completely unable to perceive them, we’ll need to get creative to reveal them. But we can’t see anyone right now, so we’ll need to figure out if it’s possible to discern the enemy from a random bystander. ”

Hm. Not good. Joshua thought on it for a moment, keeping close to the wall. There wasn’t much choice but to try to figure out how to locate another person. He needed to test something. Joshua picked up a stone off of the ground and handed it to his Stand. “Crush that to dust and toss it into the air above us. Let’s see if we can ‘perceive’ another person when the dust settles on them.”

Feed the Wolf complied, pressing the rock into a fine powder between its hands. It then tossed the resulting sand lightly into the air. It settled down, drifting in a cloud around the area. Sure enough, a thin coating of dust appeared on a humanoid figure, who stopped and turned to face Joshua. After a couple of moments, the image disappeared, as the powdered stone presumably was ‘absorbed’ into his perception of the target. Okay, that was good; this technique could make someone visible, if only for a little while. If he could just figure out where the enemy was, he could--

WHAM.

A fist slammed hard into Joshua’s chin and he staggered, spitting blood. “Who was that?!” he grunted, instinctively looking around. Another punch came moments later, hard into the gut.

Joshua gagged and fell to his knees.

Chapter Text

“Joshua? Where’d you go?” Ethan said. Something was wrong. It wasn’t like Joshua to wander off without saying anything, which could only mean one thing. “Uh-oh.”

It seemed like Ethan was now being attacked by the enemy Stand, and he could no longer ‘perceive’ Joshua. If he had to guess, Joshua was probably unable to ‘perceive’ him either. That made things tricky. Ethan was usually the type to do his scams solo, but fighting an enemy Stand user wasn’t really in his wheelhouse. Especially since he still didn’t know what they looked like. Heck, for all I know, they may be totally invisible to me already. I think we may be out of our depth, here .

Luckily, because he was cool like that, Ethan had an idea for how to fix this. It was a little embarrassing, but Ethan wasn’t here to be stylish, he was here for the win. Rebecca’s Starset could easily locate the enemy, and either Maria or Blair could kick the person’s ass as soon as they found the target.

Suddenly, as he was hitting the contact number, the phone was yanked out of his hand. “Huh? Hey, that’s mine!” Ethan exclaimed. The phone hovered in the air for a moment; presumably, it was being held by an invisible person, so he could only perceive the object. Then, it was flung down at the ground, where it smashed to pieces. “Holy-hey! What the fuck!”

A fist slammed into his face, hard, before he could even say anything further. Ethan fell flat on his ass, bleeding from his lip. Okay, for a moment there, he thought he was just dealing with a prankster, but nobody would pull this in broad daylight. Maybe he--and his attacker--were invisible to the rest of the bystanders? Which could only mean…

“You’re the enemy!” Ethan said, summoning his Dark Before Dawn, which raised its fists defensively. Just in time, too, because a further rain of blows came down. Ethan’s Stand wasn’t much for physical combat; it was stronger than an adult human being, but heavily outclassed by everyone else on the team (except Rebecca). The enemy wasn’t a lot stronger than it was, but the enemy was invisible, which didn’t help.

Really, all it could do was hold up its arms in a protective position  as a barrage of strikes pushed him further and further back. Ethan grimaced, trying to focus all of his mental strength into his Stand, but it wasn’t enough. A blow darted past his guard and smashed into Ethan’s chest, sending him flying back. Ethan crashed to the ground, spitting up blood.

Okay, this was going badly. There was no chance of him winning an actual fight, here, and he couldn’t run away easily. Luckily, Ethan had a great idea. “Hey now, there’s no need for all this,” he said, raising his hands defensively. “You got me, I admit it. I got no chance of winning this. But also, I got no fucking idea who you are. Mind introducing yourself before you push my shit in?”

There was a pause and silence. Then, someone shimmered into being. A woman, with dark skin and black hair in a braid, wearing a short blue dress and heels. She crossed her arms and scowled at him. “So you concede defeat? You will allow me to finish you off without resistance?”

Ethan shrugged. “I never said that. I just said I didn’t have a way of winning. You’ll understand if I don’t lay my head on the ground for you to crush it, you know?” He gave one of his winning smiles. “I just wanted to at least know who you were before you inevitably took me down. If you kill me, it’d be a real tragedy to go to the afterlife without knowing your name at least.”

She touched her chin, considering. “Very well. Father said to trust in my own heart for this conflict, and my heart says that I can speak to you. Still, he also said you were a cunning adversary. I will not let my guard down.” Okay, she’s talking. Good, good. I’ve already gotten her to reveal some juicy info. Now if I can just buy a little more time …

“Regardless of my misgivings, I will speak to you. My name is Sister Nyx, and the blessing I wield is called Cult to Follow. My savior, Father Apollo, has sent me to kill you to defend the artifact which is rightfully his.”

---

Joshua was under attack. Unfortunate. As he sat upright from the original blow, a kick landed on his chin, sending him reeling. “Ugh!” he grunted. Whoever he threw that sand at must have taken issue with it. “I’m sorry, it was an accident! I didn’t see--” They stomped down on his knee, and the joint strained under the blow. Joshua gritted his teeth. “Feed the Wolf!”

“ MUDA!!! ” Joshua’s Stand lunged forward, and luckily, its speed and power were enough to land a hit. He could still feel the impact, despite not being able to ‘perceive’ the target, and he saw a cloud of dust puff off the ground where a body must have landed. Joshua stood up, a little unsteady. He’d been in street fights before, and while he’d gotten taken off-guard, he wasn’t out of his depth here..

Then another kick came in, hard, into Joshua’s back, and he stumbled forward. Looks like this person had some friends with them. Not good for me, since I can’t see how many there are. Ugh, what a pain. I can’t fight the enemy Stand user if I’m getting attacked by thugs ! “Back off or else.” he snarled, whipping around and backing up. The wall of the building he’d climbed was only about a foot away from him now, so hopefully he couldn’t be flanked again.

Joshua closed his eyes. He couldn’t see the enemy, so he had to rely on his other senses. He’d been in fights where there was blood in his eyes, so now that he knew that enemies were present, he could treat it like that. Joshua was from a tough part of the city, and with his job, he sometimes ran into ruffians and punks, and even low-level gang members. He’d always been able to rely on his Stand to fight, but it never hurt to have some skill and experience of his own.

He sensed movement. Someone closing in from his right side. Based on their stride, he could estimate their height. With a grunt, Joshua turned and drove a haymaker into someone’s face. Direct hit, and they crashed to the ground. More were coming in from the other side, but Feed the Wolf was covering his flank, deflecting further blows without issue. As Joshua struck, another one of his assailants kicked him, hard, in the chest. He staggered, winded. “ Muda Muda Muda! ” Feed the Wolf intervened and went on the offensive. With a roar of fury, the Stand unleashed a barrage of strikes, feeling bones break and bodies crumple under the force of its blows. Another fist struck Joshua in the face, sending a tooth rattling to the pavement, but Joshua responded, grabbing the enemy by the wrist and pulling them off balance, cracking his knee into their face.

Silence, for just a moment. Joshua listened, keeping his eyes shut. Nothing. Joshua opened his eyes to the dimming light of the sunset. Was he safe now? If so, he needed to figure out how to find the 

“Nngh!” A burst of pain as his chest collapsed. A hard, sharp blow, right into the solar plexus. Joshua tried to cry out, but he couldn’t even breathe, let alone speak, and he immediately slumped to his knees, gasping. Another strike came down on his head, and the street spun as his face hit the pavement and his nose broke on impact. He could barely see straight. Feed…the Wolf…” he gasped as a foot planted itself on his back. The heel of a boot smashed into the side of his head. Joshua’s vision dimmed for a moment as his ear bled.

“ WRYYYYYY !!!” Feed the Wolf lunged forward with the last of its strength, smashing the attacker with as many punches as it could manage. Broken and battered, the body flew backwards and impacted the pavement. No more movement. Okay. He was alive. Everything…everything hurt. He felt dizzy. His breathing…was…ragged. But…the enemy was…was dealt with. That was…that was…

Joshua closed his eyes.

---

Okay, this was getting interesting. She didn’t work for Descartes, it seemed, and Ethan was now very curious what that meant. “Tell me about your Father. What are they like? Are they powerful?”

Nyx scoffed. “Of course. Father Apollo possesses the power of fate itself. He can control the very future! I know little of his power, but as his loyal servant, I don’t need to! He saved me, and I have absolute faith in his ability.”

Fate? Interesting. Fate was a powerful force to wield, and only a Stand user could fully master it. I see. He must be powerful. Are you his only servant?

She shook her head. “One of only a few. He is cautious about who he allows into his inner fold, but many people in this city seek his wisdom. I am one of his most loyal followers, so he has granted me this special power. His divine blessing, channeled through a holy relic!”

Great. Was he some kind of cult leader? Not that it matters that much who he is. He’s got the Heaven Stone, no doubt about it. I bet he knew from his powers that we were coming for the stone, and sent his crony after us to stop us. If he’s got a lot of people worshiping him like Nyx here does, how many of them are Stand users? Man, and I was hoping for an easy leg of the trip .

“So how did he save you?” Now that he knew this much, it was time to try to weasel his way out of this. Ethan was beginning to come up with a plan; the question was, could he execute it well enough to make it out alive? Only time would tell, really. “He must be truly benevolent.” Nyx nodded.

“Indeed. Father Apollo appeared one day as if by providence. He warned me that my husband was fated to pass soon, and in trusting his words, we lived out our final days together without regrets before he suffered a heart attack. He saved my soul from despair and grief, and for this, I came to follow in his teachings.”

Ethan nodded. Nyx had closed her eyes and spread her arms, almost as if raptured. This was good; she was clearly a fanatic, and he could exploit that. Ethan slowly began moving his arm up, carefully, without making a sound. In just a moment he’d grab his weapon of choice, and then he’d win. Hopefully. Fingers crossed.

“The future is certain, Father says. No fate can be denied, save by him. But he teaches us to accept fate, prepare for it, for it is inevitable. We embrace our tragedy and suffering, and take satisfaction in our joy, knowing it was meant to be.” Nyx gestured wildly, becoming more and more excited as she spoke. Perfect. Ethan just had to wait for the moment to arrive.

“And yet…” her tone changed abruptly as she turned back to Ethan, scowling. “You agents of evil are here to defy Father Apollo, to blaspheme in his sacred place! How dare you. How dare you!” Suddenly, her Stand appeared. It had a helmet-shaped head and a black, latex-like body covered in stars, with piercing white eyes. It lunged forward, probably to bash Ethan’s head in.

“I don’t think so. Dark Before Dawn!” Ethan grabbed the end of his scarf and yanked it off in one motion, swinging it out at Nyx’s face. Rather than folding or flailing in the air , the scarf went totally rigid, aimed straight for his enemy’s head. “By delaying the scarf bending, I can make it hit like a baseball bat!”

“Fool! You think I didn’t expect you to attack me?” Cult to Follow suddenly twisted its arm from a striking posture to a grabbing, and it snatched the scarf out of the air, ripping it out of Ethan’s hand and throwing it to the ground. “It’s useless to defy fate! Father Apollo told me that no single person could defeat me, so I separated you from your ally! Now I am invincible!”

The Stand’s fist smashed into Ethan’s face, breaking his nose and sending him flying backwards. “Ugh!” Ethan grunted, clutching his head. His beautiful face, marred and bleeding. He spat some blood on the ground as Nyx stepped forward to stomp on the scarf. “W-wait, I was just kidding! Honest!”

Nyx scoffed. “What are you talking about now? Shut up. I don’t need to hear it from you. You are a heretic, and Father’s word is gospel!” Nyx brought its foot up to stomp on Ethan’s head once more. “Die in the name of all that is holy!”

---

Ethan smirked. “Sorry, but you’ve been outwitted. I don’t really play chess, but I think this is called checkmate.”

“Huh?” Nyx looked around, hesitating for a moment. “What are you talking about? Father Apollo told me I couldn’t lose to one person, and your partner is a good way away, beaten to a bloodied pulp by some delinquents I paid off! Besides, he’s incapable of even perceiving you, me, or our Stands!” She prepared to bear down on him once more. “Now fall!” Ethan didn’t flinch.

He couldn’t see Feed the Wolf’s fist crash into Nyx’s face, but he definitely saw her features cave in on themselves. Satisfying. Nyx staggered backwards as indents appeared on her throat. Feed the Wolf must have grabbed her by the neck to keep from losing her. “Hm. Right on time. Joshua has a flair for the dramatic, I guess.”

“What…impossible…” Nyx gasped. The impact must have been powerful indeed, because now, Ethan could see Joshua’s Stand, well, standing tall. Cult to Follow manifested, but without even releasing its grip from its master’s throat, Feed the Wolf turned and raised one leg.

“ Muda Muda Muda Muda! ” Delivering a barrage of kicks, Feed the Wolf pummeled the enemy Stand, causing it to fly backwards. Nyx took the brunt of the impacts as well, but Feed the Wolf still didn’t let her go. The Stand crashed to the ground, cowering. “Looks like you’ve lost. You gave us a real run for our money. I’d be impressed if I wasn’t pissed to hell about you fucking with me! ”

“How…how did you find me?” Nyx asked, trembling. “I’m…supposed to be invincible…I isolated the two of you…you can’t beat me alone…Father Apollo said as much!”

Feed the Wolf scoffed. “ Well, obviously we worked together. You may have badly beaten my user, but he used the last of his strength to concoct a plan and have me put it into action .” It rotated Nyx in place, facing her backwards. “ You didn’t notice what I wrote, did you ?”

MAKE THEM STEP ON THE SCARF

That was what was written on the ground in blue chalk. “ I found some chalk and wrote that down in a few places. I figured out that, once Ethan took his scarf off, I’d be able to see it normally, since it was no longer ‘part of him’ so I waited until I saw it on the ground. ” The Stand smirked. “ Sure enough, once you stepped onto it, I knew exactly where you were. ”

“You…” Nyx muttered as she was turned back. “When did you…how did you…?”

Ethan laughed. “You really think hitting you with a scarf was my plan all along? No, I was just trying to get you to interact with it. A little presumptuous to call us ‘partners’ this early on, but we definitely worked well together here, wouldn’t you say?”

“No…no, this can’t be!” Nyx exclaimed, struggling in Feed the Wolf’s grip. “I am…I’m not supposed to lose…! For Father Apollo…! I have to…”

“Nope. You’re done for now. Joshua, would you like to do the honors?” Ethan said, rising unsteadily to his feet. Feed the Wolf nodded and raised its fist.

“ Muda Muda Muda Muda Muda Muda Muda! ”

---

Unfortunate. So unfortunate. Just…ugh. What a pain.

Once Nyx was defeated, Ethan and Joshua had been ‘perceivable’ by others, which resulted in 911 getting called for them. It was pointless, because Alice could heal them better than any doctor, but now they’d been admitted to the hospital. Luckily, Ethan had called Rebecca, so she had managed to discharge them and return them to the hotel room. Now they were all gathered together, Joshua laying on his back on the bed while Ethan and Maria sat next to him.

“Why is it every time we get separated you get attacked? Damnit, Jojo,” Maria groaned. Joshua didn’t reply. She’d said something to this effect about six times by now, and after the third apology he knew she was just going to keep going until she’d vented her frustration. He didn’t blame her; not that he’d wanted going out for dinner to turn into a fight, but that was small comfort for his best friend.

“So a cult is in possession of the Heaven Stone…” Rebecca mused from the other side of the room. “I can do some research into this ‘Father Apollo’ and his movements and actions. There may be information in some kind of database about him which we could use to learn more.”

“That’s fine, I guess,” Blair noted, leaning against the wall. “But how much do we need to know to kick his ass?”

“Numbers is the big thing,” Ethan said. “He seems to have a close following of worshipers he grants ‘Stand power’ and how many people are in that inner fold could be valuable to us.” Blair stared down at the floor, seemingly in thought. “Plus, it may help us locate him. You said there was no sign of the stone in the city, right?”

Rebecca shook her head. “Nothing so far. It’s possible we haven’t searched the right location yet; we have not scoured the entirety of Salt Lake City at this point. Still, you are correct that we can further narrow things down if we look into this cult’s activities.”

“Sounds like a plan, assuming Jojo doesn’t almost get himself killed again,” Maria said. Joshua rolled his eyes. I guess she’s still not done. Oh, well. I kind of have it coming, anyway . “So what should we do now?”

“I want to go for a swim,” Ethan said. “Anyone wanna come with?” Nobody said anything for a couple of moments, which was good.

“Sure. I could use some time to relax,” Joshua said, standing up. “Assuming we’re all done here?”

“If you get your ass kicked in the hotel pool I’ll kill you,” Maria said sweetly. Joshua just laughed. It felt good.

“So, thanks for bailing me out, today,” Ethan said, leaning on the side of the pool. Joshua looked over at him. They hadn’t said much before now, just relaxing in the warm water next to each other. It kind of reminded Joshua of his time sitting with Maria. Where they didn’t need to say anything to be comfortable. Joshua didn’t usually like being around people; ever since he’d gained Feed the Wolf, his Stand was usually all the company he needed.

“It was nothing,” Joshua said with a shrug, closing his eyes. “I barely did anything, really. You’re the one who got her to reveal herself, after all.”

Ethan chuckled. “You need more confidence, Joshua. I couldn’t have done it without you, not by a long shot.” Joshua opened his eyes as Ethan glanced over, expression more serious. “You don’t seem to think much of your achievements, do you? Why is that? You’ve got so much going for you.”

What a strange question. Joshua wasn’t the type to hype up his actions, that was all. He was just being realistic, not taking undue credit. But then, Maria said the same thing before, didn’t she? And Blair seemed shocked when I talked to her, as well …Joshua stared down at the ripples in the water, not responding.

Ethan patted him on the shoulder. “It’s okay, don’t sweat it. But do think on it a little, okay? For my sake? And Maria, I’m sure.” Joshua nodded and smiled a little. “Hey, so besides the battle, what did you think of today? Did you have a good time, despite everything?”

“Well…” Joshua said, thinking for a moment. “That didn’t go exactly as planned for a first date.” He smiled. “What do you think about a second one, after we’re all done with this? I know a great cafe back in New York.”

Ethan just stared for a moment. Luckily, just as Joshua thought he might have miscalculated, he laughed. “Geez, here I was worrying you still hadn’t gotten the hint.” His expression softened. “But yeah, it’s a date.”

They embraced.

Chapter Text

Jojo definitely had a crush on Ethan.

Maria had a hunch, but it became super obvious while they all ate breakfast together. Jojo and Ethan were talking, like, the whole time, about books and Ethan’s travels and foods and all kinds of things. Jojo hated talking to most people; even Maria got the silent treatment sometimes when he wasn’t feeling sociable. This? Totally unbelievable.

Now, you could say they might just be hitting it off and being good friends, but Maria had it on good authority--Jojo himself--that the two went out for dinner together, alone. He seemed pretty bashful about it, too. Then, they went swimming together, and now this? Plus, Maria could read Jojo like a book. He looked at Ethan with a sort of fondness and, well, attraction she’d never seen out of him before. He was like a puppy dog.

As sweet as it was, Maria didn’t care to interrupt. She just smiled quietly to herself and observed. Eventually, though, Rebecca did speak up, which was kinda sad, but oh well, they had a mission to do. “So, I spent last night researching Apollo’s cult, but I haven’t found much yet.” Rebecca yawned.

“Did you…sleep?” Maria asked. This sounded an awful lot like some of her college friends. Blair just sighed.

“No, she didn't. I've been trying to get her to rest, but. Well, you know,” she said. “Maybe you can convince her?”

Jojo sighed. “Rebecca. Go to sleep. We’ll be safe until you wake up, then we’ll find Apollo when you’re rested.” A chorus of approving murmurs followed, and Rebecca sighed.

“Yes, very well. Nobody is to endanger themselves in my absence.” Without even finishing her waffle, or touching it really, Rebecca stood up and walked out the room to the elevator. She almost walked right into the wall, too. Geez, and I thought Jojo’s sleeping habits were bad. At least he’s been getting his rest since we left .

Blair shrugged. “I should probably stay with her. Just make sure she actually sleeps. She’ll probably just get on her laptop if I don’t.” With that, she picked up her food and Rebecca’s and left. That just left Alice, Maria, Jojo, and Ethan. Maria clapped her hands briefly.

“Okay! So we have a day off. Alice, do you want to spar with me? We need to keep up practicing some of your martial arts training.” She couldn’t help but shoot a little smile at Jojo. “And I’m sure the boys would like some time to themselves to hang out, too.” Jojo’s eyes went a little wider, but Ethan just laughed.

“Hey, that sounds like a good use of time. We already had a whole fight, so we might as well just hang out in the hotel room. Call us if you need something, okay?” Ethan winked, and Maria winked back. Heh, he gets it. I wonder who asked the other out first? Probably Ethan. I knew we’d encounter all kinds of amazing things on this adventure, but I wasn’t thinking a boyfriend for Jojo was one of them .

“R-right, well, in that case, why don’t you head off?” Jojo said. “Be careful, you two.”

Maria couldn’t help but giggle, to Jojo’s dismay. Despite his serious words, Maria had never seen his poor face so red before.

---

“You’re making a lot of progress, Alice!” Maria cheered, sitting down at the bench with the fancy ice cream she’d gotten. She figured they deserved a treat after the workout, you know? Alice nodded, still out of breath.

They’d been doing this on and off ever since Chicago, when they had a little spare time. Mostly it was workout stuff, really; Alice was uh, not in the greatest of shapes, to be totally honest, so they had to build on that first. Still, basic self-defense was always good, so they did some of that too.

Along the way, Maria had definitely noticed how sickly Alice was. She sometimes even got bloody noses or coughs, just kind of randomly. She’d gone to Jojo about it at some point, and Jojo had told her to talk to Rebecca.

What had Rebecca said? ‘ Alice’s ‘strength of will’ is relatively weak. She has a strong enough spirit to manifest her Stand; if it was weaker, she would perish, as her Stand drained her life force. However, because she struggles to fully wield her power, it still taxes her body and soul to wield When Doves Cry .’

So that was what it was. Alice wasn’t as strong-willed as the rest of them, basically. Still, there were obviously sparks of it. Alice was uncoordinated, and she kept losing her balance while working out and practicing. But she’d just grumble under her breath and get back up without complaint. Alice thinks she’s fragile and helpless, but I’d wager she’s a heck of a lot stronger than she assumes .

“Alice…” Maria said, looking over. “You came on this trip to avenge your parents, right?” Alice nodded.

“Uh, yes. They were both killed by Descartes for the stone. He’s a terrible man, isn’t he?” Alice stared down at the floor. “I can’t just, well, I can’t allow him to get away with hurting more people!” There it was. For just a moment, there was a spark in Alice’s eyes. Then it faded, and she withdrew into herself again. Right, time for Maria to do the ol’ pep talk. Sort of.

“You know Alice, Jojo was pretty shy when we first met,” Maria began. “He never talked, even in class when he knew all the answers.”

Alice looked up at her, looking kind of confused. “And…I’m sorry, I don’t follow.”

Maria shrugged sheepishly. Okay, maybe this wasn’t going as well as she’d thought. She was used to cheering up Jojo, after all. “I’m just saying, I know you’re not like, the most confident, but you’ve grown a lot since we’ve been together. I know all of us can rely on you to keep us safe when we need to.”

There was a pause, as Alice stared down at the ground. She’s not used to getting compliments, it seems like . “Thank you, Maria. I…I always worry that I’m not strong enough. That I’ll fail when I’m most needed. I’m scared of being weak!” She stood up suddenly. “I’ve spent my whole life sickly and weak! I missed school, had no friends, and my cousin always had to take care of me! I’m tired of being someone that can’t do what I need to do!”

There it was. Maria already had some tissues and her water bottle out just in case, as Alice broke into a coughing fit. It wasn’t the first time this had happened, after all; every time Alice got worked up, her illness flared up. I bet when she fires up her ‘fighting spirit’ like this, it puts more strain on her body because of her Stand. That must suck .

“Uhm, I’m sorry…” Alice muttered, wiping blood from her chin. “In the end, I am just weak…”

“There’s nothing to apologize for!” Maria replied, sitting upright. “You’re doing a great job. I know we haven’t called on you to fight at all, but if that’s ever necessary, I’m sure you’ll be able to do great.” Maria smiled. “In fact, when we go to find Apollo, I’ll have the others bring you along. How does that sound?”

Alice looked at her in surprise. “I…uh…yes. I’d like that. I’m tired of you all fighting and me staying in a hotel room doing nothing. Does that…make sense? I just always feel so helpless when you go out on adventures.”

“You’re much stronger than you give yourself credit for, Alice,” Maria said. “I have faith in you. You just need to have faith in yourself.” Alice nodded, smiling weakly, and Maria stood up and grinned. “Speaking of, let’s get back to training. If you’re gonna fight alongside us, we need to practice so you can really kick ass!”

Alice stood, determination burgeoning in her eyes, and they began again.

---

A brief respite could make all the difference, in Rebecca’s experience.

Of course, that was a difficult fact to accept when there was work to be done, as Rebecca still struggled to learn. She had anticipated that the research would be quickly accomplished, and every new link and lead incited her to keep going just a little longer.

And then it was morning, and she was exhausted, and she was still not finished. So she took a nap while Blair took over. It was difficult, obviously, to relax while her task was unfinished--and goodness knows Blair was not much for research--but eventually she did fall asleep, and when she woke up, Blair was laying face down on the pillow next to her. “Not going well?” Rebecca asked gently, sitting up.

“No…” Blair replied, muffled. “Didn’t find shit. Gave up. It’s been like 6 hours. Your turn.” Rebecca smiled and patted her partner on the head.

“It’s okay, I know you did your best.” Blair was not the type to put in less than her full effort. Frankly, it was commendable that Blair even tried, despite historically having a difficult time with computers, let alone try to do research. “I’ll take it from here, you just relax.”

It was nice, sitting on the bed with Blair and her laptop. It reminded her of back before their battle with Descartes, her father, truly began. When they were carefree teenagers who only had to worry about trivial matters, not the fate of the world. Was it always fated to be this way? For us to do battle with evil as one. Fate draws Stand users together, it’s said. The weight of our more powerful souls pulls us together, like gravity. Perhaps it was inevitable that I would meet Maria, Joshua, Alice, and Ethan .

This fact, which Jotaro Kujo had told her when they first met, could prove vital to their victory. If they could just get closer to Apollo, they could surely find themselves meeting him, and defeating him. All it would take was time. The problematic element was how little time they had. They hadn’t encountered any of Descartes’ minions just yet, but it was only a matter of time before they faced further adversity. Not to mention the other stones.

Rebecca stared at her screen, her Stand hovering above her, channeling its energy into the laptop. She knew she was close, so very close. This was where she was powerful; though she could not fight, information was an incredible weapon in their battles, and if she could provide that to her allies, she could trust them to carry the day.

There. That was the line she needed to follow. Footage of Apollo, an extremely slender and pale man with white hair, wearing all white robes and heavy sunglasses, being led to a car. Was he blind? Perhaps. It could simply be an affectation, a part of his public persona. But regardless, with the power of Starset, she had dug up surveillance footage that showed him driving. And by continuing to follow the car’s trajectory, she could…

“I found him!” Rebecca exclaimed, causing Blaire to sit upright. “He’s entering the northwest region of the Wasatch National Forest!”

Blair nodded. “Perfect. Nicely done, Becca. I knew you could do it.” She hopped off of the bed. “Do you want to call the others?”

“Can you do it?” Rebecca asked, closing her laptop as she stood. Blair tilted her head.

“Why? You found it.” That was true. Rebecca hesitated. For some reason, as if instinctive, she felt a pinch in her stomach when she thought of telling everyone about what she’d found. “Do you not want to tell them? It’s important, isn’t it? We can’t just load them into the car without saying where we’re going.”

“I…don’t know,” Rebecca admitted, adjusting her spectacles. “For some reason, I feel this sense of discomfort when I share information sometimes.”

“Your dad was always secretive. Maybe he rubbed off on you?” Blair noted. Rebecca considered. “You’ve always been honest with me. But the others, you don’t know so well. Is that it?”

Her father…yes, he lied regularly. Not necessarily to her, but to his employees, his comrades. He manipulated them, telling them only what they needed to know to work, hiding key context about the consequences. Many times, someone had taken a fall for him for illegal activity, with Descartes ‘proving’ that it had been an independent decision, with the victim none the wiser about what would happen.

Did they have this in common? This insidious nature? It had been so simple to tell her friends about her father’s evil and the stones, yet as Joshua had pressed, she had struggled. I cannot allow this to persist. I must make a statement against my own flaws . “Maybe,” she said. “But it doesn’t matter. I’ll tell the team, so you need not worry about that.” Blair nodded.

They called on the group, and everyone gathered in the hotel room. Rebecca cleared her throat. “I have found our target. By following Apollo’s trail through the city, I have located the rough position of his domain in the local forest. It seems he is illegally occupying the area. I believe if we venture out into the woods, I am confident we will find him.”

Joshua crossed his arms. “It’s a national forest, right? I was reading about it on the way here. It’s over 86,000 acres. How do you think we’re going to find them in an area that big?” Rebecca adjusted her spectacles.

“We must have faith in fate. Fate is a power which draws Stand users together. If we seek out Apollo and his stone, the ‘gravity’ of our souls will surely cause us to meet.” Joshua rolled his eyes.

“People keep talking about ‘fate’ like it means something. I don’t believe in something like fate.”

“It’ll be fine, Jojo,” Maria said. “We may not know exactly where he is, but we’ll never find him if we don’t look.”

Rebecca nodded. “Agreed. He has not made any appearances recently; it is likely that since his powers have revealed that we are in pursuit, he is being more cautious. We must hunt him down in order to retrieve the Heaven Stone.” Joshua sighed.

“Unfortunate. But fine, we can give it a try. Not like we have a better plan in place, do we?”

Ethan laughed. “Hey, it’ll be fun, walking through the woods. You told me before you’ve always wanted to go on a nature hike, right? This is kind of like that.”

Joshua sighed, turning away. Rebecca frowned. Fate had always been something her father had taught her about. He used to tell her that ‘ Fate is the power by which success is achieved. Control is everything, Rebecca, and to control Fate is the ultimate path to victory ’. Joshua, it seemed, did not understand that. Hopefully, he would at least be willing to play along.

“Right. Is that all?” Blair asked. Maria raised her hand.

“One more thing. Alice wants to come along, so we’ll all be going this time.” Alice nodded meekly as everyone looked over at her. “We’re cool with that, right?”

Blair shook her head. “We’ve been over this. It’s too risky. We need her safe if we get hurt. And she can’t fight.”

“I-!” Alice began to exclaim, but she didn’t follow up. Blair crossed her arms. Maria furrowed her brow and followed up.

“I think she can take care of herself just fine, thank you. We’ve been practicing! I’m sure we can take her along. And we should totally do it, because…you know…”

“She’s right,” Joshua said. “We’ll be far away from the hotel this time, with no easy means of transport or return. If anyone gets hurt, we need her nearby to heal us with her Stand.” He stood and leaned against the wall. I trust her and Maria. If they say she can handle herself, I buy it. Besides, this will only get more dangerous. The sooner she’s confident she can take a battle, the better.”

Everyone looked at Rebecca. “Let’s put it to a vote then. All in favor?” Maria and Joshua raised their hands. So did Ethan. Blair sighed, but she did as well. “Very well. The six of us will travel into the forest together.”

With that, everyone was in agreement. They gathered up together, and then set out.

---

With Ethan renting the car, the group of them drove out from downtown to the visitor’s center, which took about 45 minutes. They had to buy passes to park and then get out. There was a golf course and a camping ground right there at the front, but Rebecca checked with Starset and he was nowhere to be found. That meant he was up the mountain, deeper into the forest, so they all had to slip into the woods to keep searching.

According to the guys, who were more botanical-ly than Maria, they were surrounded by Rocky Mountain maple trees and sage bushes, which soon gave way to spruce and aspen as they traveled. Jojo seemed to be enjoying himself at least, taking in the sights with a wide-eyed enthusiasm she rarely saw from him. After maybe an hour of hiking, they were definitely off the beaten path. “So should we split up, or no?” Ethan asked finally. By this point, they’d arrived in what looked like some kind of woodlands with tall, thin white trees crowned in sparse leaves. Aspens, Jojo called them.

“It might help cover more ground,” Jojo said. “But it’s riskier. Two groups of three, do you think?” That seemed like a good idea.

“Blair and I can work together. Jojo can accompany us. Alice, you can stay with Maria and Ethan.” Rebecca directed. “My Starset has the best chance of sensing Apollo, and then Joshua can send his Stand to the other group if that happens.” Seems like a good plan. I can protect Alice and Ethan pretty well, and Jojo can protect Rebecca with Blair. He looked a little disappointed, probably since he wasn’t with Maria or Ethan, but she figured he’d be fine.

“Good luck everyone,” Jojo said as the two groups split off and went their separate ways. Maria sighed. “Alright, let’s go find us a cult leader!” she said to Alice and Ethan. Ethan chuckled at that at least, but Alice didn’t seem to notice. She was just staring at the ground, shuffling her feet as she walked. Poor thing must still be nervous. There wasn’t much that could be done about it, though. Maybe another pep talk in a bit? Could be a bit risky, getting distracted and all.

The problem was, there wasn’t much of the way of, like, real leads, so they kind of just had to wander. It was still early in the morning, so the sun was out which was pretty nice, but the bugs kind of sucked. “Ahh! A spider!!!” Ethan yelped at one point, nearly jumping into the trees. Maria ignored him. The undergrowth was pretty tough to walk in as well. It was very different from New York, that was for sure. She’d traveled more than Jojo, but she’d never really been outdoorsy like that. At least he was probably having a nice time. 

“Ouch,” Maria grumbled as she slapped a mosquito. A red, itchy welt was already forming.

“Ugh, this sucks,” Ethan said. “I hate forests. I hate trees. I hate it here.” Maria laughed as he continued to jokingly whine. “How are you holding up, Alice?”

“I have, uh, bug bites,” Alice mumbled. “And I think I stepped on poison ivy, because I have a rash on my ankle. Maria had almost twisted her ankle tripping over a rock not moments ago, herself, but she didn’t mind it too much. Despite her unfamiliarity, the woods were beautiful. On their travels, they’d seen all kinds of natural places, but nothing like this. For her, it was worth a few mosquito welts.

“Ouch, that one hurt,” Ethan grunted, slapping his arm. “Ugh, its already itchy. This place is the worst. Some of these bugs are practically the size of baseballs.” Maria just laughed and kept walking. The terrain was starting to become more hilly, like they were going up a slope, and the trees had gotten a little denser, but only a little.

“Uh, hey, is this normal?” Ethan said. Maria turned to look, expecting a weird flower or something. But it was way more than that; a clump of white strands began stretching out of Ethan’s arm, where the bug bite had been. “What’s happening to my fucking arm?”

The cloud of insects had gotten thicker, and now Maria realized that a lot of them were big. Really big. Ethan wasn’t exaggerating about the baseball size; they were fat, with short legs and long, needle-like proboscis, hovering around Ethan. One of them grabbed onto the white stuff and began pulling on it, stretching it out. It looked kind of like…

“Webbing?” Maria said, stepping back. More of the bugs were now swarming Ethan, biting into his body. From each wound, more of this webbing was emerging. Ethan shouted in fear, trying to struggle and swat them away, but they were too fast. Within moments. He had half a dozen welts with web-like strings being pulled from them. “This is a Stand attack!”

Dammit. All this time, they’d thought they were pursuing Apollo. But instead, they were the ones being hunted!