“There’s a swarm approaching your position.”

Mod didn’t stop running. He was almost at the office building—

Almost at the trap Angel Eye and Lau Keishos had set for him. 

“What about the Summit?” Mod asked.

“Don’t expect any support. The Deep Ones are mobilizing all over the world and all over Belport. For the foreseeable future, you are on your own.” 

As TINA spoke, the drones overhead were mobilizing. The sound of machinegun fire ceased as drones were given new orders. Mod watched as the UV glint of drones in the sky faded one by one. Thankfully, TINA didn’t take everything. She left them with several Fast-Response drones and a single heavy drone. 

Mod felt a pang of bitterness at the sight. The other attack from the Deep Ones was still fresh in his mind—Mod and Serenity’s groups definitely could’ve used drone support then. 

Mod pushed the bitterness aside. He understood. After all, Venture and TINA had an entire city to protect. 

He hefted his fusion rifle and checked the connections. At least his rifle and internal batteries were fully charged again. He’d wanted an excuse to test his rifle, and this would be a true test of its capabilities. 

Mod paused just outside. Arsenal had engaged the sorcerer on the upper floor, and Mod briefly considered helping. But then the building rumbled and the upper floors quaked. The roof buckled and there was the sound of cracking walls and rushing water, like a damn burst. 

He hugged the wall as water and rubble rained down on the street. Thankfully, the rest of the building didn’t come down. 

The front entrance used to be a set of double doors that most likely opened up into a lobby. The doors were thrown wide open and there was nothing but a warped hall of mirrors stretching off into the distance. It felt like peering through a kaleidoscope. Whether by illusion magic or the compounding reflection of mirrors, the hall seemed to fade into the distance—much, much further than the office building should’ve allowed. 

“TINA, send a drone to pick up Windvane and Shifter. Bring them here. We’ll use the building as a holding point. Arsenal, are the hostages out?”

“All but one. I don’t see Oakenheart either.”

TINA added, “There is a high probability that they escaped into the tunnels.”

Mod peered through the tunnel of mirrors, slowly leaning around the corner. Angel Eye was somewhere at the end and was probably waiting for Mod. Suspicion finally got the better of him, and Mod detached his impact shield and used the reflective surface to find his enemy. 

Angel Eye was indeed standing at the end of the impossibly long hall. He’d traded his rifle for twin pistols, both of which were already pointed in Mod’s direction. He wore a long duster coat and a high-tech monocle. 

“The Deep Ones are attacking again!” Mod called out to Angel Eye, not sure whether the gunslinger would hear him or care. 

A second later, Angel Eye tapped his earpiece and said something, but Mod was too far away to hear. 

Then Angel Eye called out, “I can’t confirm that. All my teammates are down or gone!”

“Why don’t you drop the magic and we can work together? Use it to cover the building…”

“Can’t. Not without Lau. And we’ve got an asset to protect!”

Mod sighed. They didn’t have time for this. 

Before he could think of a response, the ground rumbled. It didn’t feel like an earthquake—it felt like it was coming from right beneath the building. Even Angel Eye spun around, turning his guns on the floor like he expected something to come from beneath him. 

Something did.

The floor behind Angel Eye blew open, sending chunks of concrete through the air. Angel Eye dove away and skidded across the floor. Glass in the immediate area shattered. 

A knight burst out of the stairwell, which could only have been Oakenheart. She pushed forward, dragging the hostage by the collar with one hand and holding a giant sword in the other. If her armor had been shiny at one point, it was now covered in gore. The hostage wore a disheveled suit and a black bag over their head. 

If Oakenheart had gone into the tunnels to escape, why had she turned back? Even Angel Eye was shouting in disbelief—

Green hands reached up from the stairwell. Deep Ones were chasing them. They must’ve come through the tunnels. 

Oakenheart tossed the hostage through the glass tunnel and they stumbled toward Angel Eye. She turned and gestured like she was casting a spell. A second later, a mass of thick vines grew over the opening. Deep Ones clawed at the vines but the magic held, for now. 

Mod stepped out from behind the corner and stood in clear view of the hallway. He made sure to keep his rifle relaxed.

Oakenheart saw him and raised her bloody sword defiantly. Angel Eye scrambled to his feet. 

“How about a truce?” Angel Eye shouted, pointing one pistol at the horde. 

Mod nodded. “We need to get out of here. Come up to the roof.”

Oakenheart held out her sword. “We’re not going with you.”

“Monstrosity inbound to your location.”

Arsenal added through the comms, “Mod, it’s moving fast. Get your asses up here!” Outside, kinetic blasts and machinegun fire sounded.

Oakenheart and Angel Eye stared at each other in disbelief—TINA had obviously included them in on the transmission. A look of agreement passed between them, then the sharpshooter muttered something. The kaleidoscope hallway faded, returning the foyer entryway to its normal layout. 

Angel Eye gestured for Mod to follow, then hero and villains ran up to the roof. Oakenheart left a trail of thick roots and bramble in their path. With any luck, it would keep the Deep Ones from following quickly. While the paladin was distracted, Mod threw the hostage over his shoulder and sprinted ahead, bounding up the stairs with inhuman speed. He ignored the exasperated shouts of the mask and villain. 

Mod burst through the door to the roof. “TINA, I need a Fast-Response drone for the last hostage.”

A second later, one swooped down. Mod set the hostage down gently on their feet. 

“The drone is a little cramped, but it will keep you safe and get you out of here.” Mod didn’t give them time to protest before gently, but firmly, shoving them inside. 

Then he turned to the real problem. Mod stepped to the edge of the roof and looked out over Belport. 

Deep Ones were flooding the streets. They darted between buildings, clearly converging on Mod and Arsenal’s building. Some were close enough that he could already make out the sharp spines on their limbs. 

Arsenal buzzed the street, blasting errant fish-men as she slipped past. At first, Mod thought she missed most of her shots—they struck just in front of her targets. Fish-men startled in their assault and leapt back. 

More fish-men filled the street—a mass of them advancing together. But Arsenal’s pass had just grouped them tighter together. 

Machinegun fire erupted down the street, so loud it caused Mod to duck. He could just make out the flickering camouflage of the solitary heavy drone two blocks away. The building-sized drone had opened fire with four massive miniguns. Their combined report was absolutely deafening, and Mod felt each shot ripple through the air. Chunks of asphalt blasted into the air and made the road look like it was boiling. 

Neither Dr. Venture nor TINA had confessed the weapon loadouts that their heavy drones used, and Mod could only guess that they were rated for Class 4 skirmishes. 

The burst was over as quickly as it began, but it turned the first wave of the horde into chum. 

In the stillness that followed, Mod shouldered his rifle. He sighted the first fish-man soldier. They were two blocks away—within two hundred yards—and fired. 

The kinetic shot tore through the creature’s shoulder, taking the arm off with it. It didn’t stop. Mod adjusted his aim and the next shot hit the creature center mass, dropping it. 

He had to lead his long shots a bit, but it would do. 

The stairwell door swung open across the roof. Oakenheart and Angel Eye finally emerged. 

“I should kill you right now!” Oakenheart bellowed. Mod glanced over his shoulder, but didn’t stop firing at the horde. She leveled her sword at him, but Angel Eye grabbed her arm. 

“Just let it go.” 

Angel Eye strode past and took up position next to the cyborg. Reluctantly, Oakenheart did the same. She stood at the ready while Mod and Angel Eye started firing.

“How many shots do you have?” Mod asked. 

“Enough.”

In the distance, Mod could make out the hulking form of the monstrosity. Its back crested the smaller buildings and looked like a giant armored shell. It was moving North… but it wasn’t heading toward their building. 

That should have been a good thing, but Mod had an uneasy feeling.

“TINA, where is the monstrosity going?” 

“It’s heading toward the nearest Summit staging center.”

“Shit.”

~ ~ ~