The heroes all started at her sudden fit, Silverknight and Alleyshadow asking if she was alright, while The Ferret left to go get a bottle of water.

Erin hacked a bit longer, her eyes watering, before she realized the Plot had let go enough for her to catch her breath, and she croaked, “Sorry,” as Alleyshadow put his hand on her shoulder, as if to catch her if she was going to fall out of her chair. She was amazed he couldn’t feel the waves of prickling Plot over her body. “Sorry-” she repeated, “something caught in my throat.”

They gave her a few moments while Erin took a drink of water and considered what she was going to do now.

Erin wouldn’t lie to herself. She’d almost fooled herself into thinking she’d thrown the Plot off her permanently when she’d gone out to get the Cavalry, and the Plot had let her. She’d been stupid to think that.

What she’d intended to say was ‘Though I’m not the only one who knows,’ hoping she could break the fourth wall and tell them about herself and the backdrop who could see everything. Looks like that was a step too far. It was so frustrating, but Erin had to swallow that back for now.

Whatever Cognizance was, it didn’t mean freedom.

Erin took a deep breath and Alleyshadow asked, eyebrows raised, “Now what were you saying?”

“I was saying,” Erin said, with a cautious breath, worried that the Plot would grab her again, “Though I’m not the only one who should know.” She stared at Tyson. “You should tell Janey.” The room was silent. “She’s really struggling right now. You could lose her. I shouldn’t get in your affairs, but I’m guessing you are worried about her finding out if you move in together?” It was a story fit for a movie, making it more or less perfect for Protagonists.

Everyone looked at Tyson. Erin had no idea a person in a suit of armor could look sheepish.

Erin smiled, but she didn’t really mean it in any sort of happy way. None of them were looking at her anyway. She was moving the Plot along. She might as well be a Pawn, except with some pretense of agency, and could still talk to backdrop. She was just part of their Plot.

Erin desperately just wanted to be alone right now. She’d filled her role, explained herself, and with that inconsistency filled, she might as well move on so these four could go back to playing. So she could stop feeling guilty for just being able to talk to them while others could die.

The Ferret and Alleyshadow and Silverknight were talking amongst themselves, but it didn’t really concern her. She was, in fact, almost forgotten as they tried to work out how Janey’s involvement would change things.

Erin stood up and Pyrocles asked politely, still in his recliner, “You heading out, Erin?” He watched her half through gold ringlets, as if he was trying to figure out what she was thinking.

The other three stopped arguing.

Erin motioned. “I can stay if you want, but it's been a long work day. Did you guys need anything else? Sorry for, um, stepping in all your business. I figured this was all you needed from me.”

Erin saw The Ferret exchange a glance with Pyrocles that she couldn’t quite interpret, but The Ferret answered, “No, we don’t need anything else. Sorry for making you come all the way out here for such a short talk.” She sounded like she had to make an effort to sound less like The Ferret and more like Misty, in that last bit.

The reassuring smile was definitely more Misty than Ferret, but with her mask still on, Erin didn’t know yet what the lawyer was going for. Reassurance that they were still friends, or that this would come up again in conversation?

Erin nodded, and said her goodbyes, and wished Tyson good luck and told him that he needed it. Erin made it back home and was in a better mood for the ride. She bobbed her helmet to the Red Street Roamer who waited in the parking garage, who nodded back.

Her apartment was as she left it, not the same as her old one, not as home-like yet. She started coffee and thought about what she needed to go to the grocery store for, beyond just emergency supplies.

Whatever happened with the Cavalry would work out. Or it wouldn’t.

Erin logged into her account managing the Cavalry’s website. More fan mail, a couple tips that shouldn’t have been in the fan mail inbox, three more endorsement deals, one of which even made Erin’s eyebrows raise at the price. She deleted them as The Ferret instructed. The Ferret had access to all but the administrator email account that Erin ran, and could check the trash folder if she was interested.

This time, however, her administrator’s inbox was not empty, like she expected.

She’d have known if the website went down, but the traffic had been stable. These people either must have found the admin contact page with her little fake company name “Immutable Web Services” on purpose, or had the wrong email address.

The first email was from “Greymatter” asking Immutable Web Services if it was willing to create and run a website for their operation in New Jersey. Erin frowned at the email for a bit, before remembering that Greymatter was a noir-style femme fatale psychic detective Protagonist who tended to play up a sort of anti-hero persona but usually didn’t bother anyone but existing Pawns and other Protagonists.

Erin shook her head to herself but marked the email as unread. She did not want to deal with more Protagonists right now.

She looked at the second inbox item, which just had, “Can you help?” as the header.

The email wasn’t long:

“Hey, sorry to bother you Erin. I know I probably shouldnt but I can’t ask anyone else and found your email. My older brother is now a Pawn and my parents are upset. I don’t know what to do but junior high sucks now. What do you do? I am worried I will be banned from the forums soon too, but I don’t want to be.

Thanks, Carol.”

Erin left her desk to pour herself coffee and think. She didn’t have the answers. She couldn’t answer questions like Carol’s in her own life.

As Erin put the coffee in front of her computer, someone knocked on her door.

“Erin? You there?”

It was Ashlynn. Erin closed her eyes, to take a moment. The voice was barely muffled through the door. She must have seen the light change in the peephole when Erin got up, because Ashlynn started explaining.

“I saw your bike was here, and, hey, like, I know this is an odd question but I need to borrow some milk or cream if you got any. It’s nothing - like - nefarious. I just wanted to make some ice cream. I bought a maker, but forgot some of the ingredients. You can have some, like, if you want.”

Erin tilted her head skyward, her eyes closed again, thinking calming thoughts.

She needed to seriously set boundaries between herself and the Plot. Erin might turn villain just to be able to let out her tension.

Hadassah

Author's note: This concludes my book, Free Agent. I hope you have enjoyed it, as I know I've been many times both in love with and in loathing with it, depending on whether or not I was editting or not. I am working on other stuff right now, but a sequel is in the works, and I will be sure to post to this story if you follow, so you can get an update on if/when I get to it. I think I'll be releasing a novella next, but we'll see what simmers up to the top.

Thanks to everyone who read, favorited and commented. It means a lot, every part. 

Stay safe, stay good, and have a great day!