"I'll go away and also attend Skyfall," I said. "Just not as Alexander Glock."

  Cinder blinked, the gears of her mind turning.

  "I'll still be there for you as an annoying chuppy. Just... different. New identity, new look. New me."

  Cinder considered my words. “Mkay.”

  "Another disguise?" Magdaline asked.

  "Yeah," I nodded. "I'm thinking... an exchange student from Arx."

  "An Arx student?" Cinder asked. "How would that even work? Arxkin can't visit our Earth due to the low Aetheric density."

  "Eh," I grinned. "I'll be a special wealthy student who somehow manages it. Katsburg will provide the necessary paperwork and pay for my schooling.”

  "And Graves will just accept a transfer student from Arx?!" Cinder asked.

  "I'll handle Graves," Satosh said. "He's an old friend of mine."

  "And what about your appearance?" Cinder asked.

  "Makeup and your wings are going to handle that," I said. "You did a pretty good job of turning me into a foxkin on Arx."

  "A lot of that was Vee," Cinder let out.

  "I think that you and I can do it," I said. "We have the entire weekend to practice, since I'm cancelling the duel.”

  Cinder pursed her lips, not sure of herself.

  I looked at the moth and sharks. "So, doom avoided?"

  "Delayed," Io nodded. "Shifted away from death of you to the death of… uhhh.... everything. Hrm."

  “The death of everything?” Cinder stared at Io.

  “Sort of? Maybe?” Io shrugged. “I’m… not sensing anything past Monday. It’s like there’s a wall there. Weird.” He looked far too relaxed about the potential end of everything.

  I stared at my Scrut-sharks.

  “There’s nothing past Monday,” Satosh said.

  "Nothing." Magdaline nodded.

  "And that's not concerning?" I asked.

  "Big Celestorms can cause disruptions in future-sight," the Scrut explained.

  "Good enough," I released Io's hand with a sigh.

  Magdaline still held onto me, still bouncing Scrutiosmia off me. I inhaled her scent, wondering how she was doing.

  I smelled dedication and... attraction. Pointed directly at me. A LOT of attraction. Her physical heart was beating fast and behind it her Fractal Engine heart was reaching out towards me, desiring to be connected deeper, further.

  "Is something going on between you two?" Cinder squinted at us.

  "Nothing!" Magdaline released my hand quickly, trying and failing to hide the blush dancing across her face.

  "Mkay," I said. "Io, gate to the phone in my van. Then fly in your van to the nearest Omnibank and open an Omnicorp account there."

  I piled a few million O-bux worth of celesteel cards into his gray paws. "Deposit these there. Mags, you know my clothes size, yes?"

  "I can smell it, yes," she nodded, trying very hard not to look at Cinder.

  "Order me some nice clothes," I said. "Top of the line Primaborn Princeling suits. Maybe a gemstone encrusted cane too.”

  "Can do," she said.

  "Afterward, head to Omnitronics Depot and buy phones, laptops, tablets, video cards and server racks. As many as you can. I'll set up a storage room here with a phone for Io to gate the purchased stuff into."

  Io nodded.

  "Off you go then," I waved them off. “Mags, you're the bodyguard. Protect Io with your life.”

  Magdaline nodded.

  I turned to Satosh. "Interrogate the prisoners, see which ones would be willing to work for us as Sixies. I want skilled, trusted Omnids that we can throw at problems in the future that won't betray our cause. Ones who will work here and also on Arx for us.”

  Satosh nodded. He too departed, leaving me alone with Cinder.

  "So... Magdaline clearly likes you,” the Quetzi said after a minute of silence.

  "Yeah," I said.

  "Remember what I said?" She growled, dark claws extending, hand suddenly wrapped around my chin.

  "No harems," I said. "I'm pawning her off to Io. He could use a strong Prima!"

  Cinder grabbed me by the collar and pulled me close, her ocean-blue eyes narrowing. "You're walking on a verrrrry thin line there, pal."

  "I am aware," I grinned at her, not resisting her grip. "But Mags needs friends and guidance. She's been isolated for too long. She's crushing on the first person who showed her kindness. Prison does that to people. Isolation makes them latch onto the first person who treats them like a person rather than a monster."

  "And you know this from experience?" Cinder's gaze was glacial.

  "I've been isolated myself for years," I shrugged. "Uncle George put me through hell, made me steal stuff, forced me to practice parkour day after day for years. I crushed onto the first angel I saw.” I smiled at her. “Then Vee also sort of adopted me."

  Cinder's grip on my collar tightened. "Don't. Change. The. Subject."

  "Look, Ci," I said. "I'm trying to explain that I understand what Magdaline is going through. She needs friends, not just a boyfriend. She needs to learn who she is outside of prison."

  Cinder's feathers slowly shifted from angry dark sunset to a more thoughtful blue-gray. "And you think Io would be good for her? What if he doesn't like her?"

  "Then he doesn't like her," I shrugged. "But they should at least try. They're both kind of weird and awkward. Both have a thing for sensing the future. He’s small and can’t fly and she has a protective streak. It could work out."

  Cinder's grip on my collar loosened slightly. "And what about Vee?"

  "What about her?"

  "Stop answering my questions with questions!" Cinder shook me.

  "Why don't we talk about our feelings instead of being violent?" I offered, channeling my inner prison therapist.

  "Feelings?!" Cinder sputtered, her feathers bristling with renewed agitation. "You want to talk about feelings when Vee's been mind-wiped?!"

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “Yes, we already established that,” I said. "Come on, tell me how you really feel instead of strangling me."

  "I feel like everything is falling apart!" Cinder suddenly released my collar, her wings drooping. "I feel like a useless knob! I feel like you can just replace me with a convict Megalodon whenever you feel like that's the most optimal path!"

  She pawed at her own face, making iridescent colors rush across the lines left by her dark claws.

  "And you know what else?!" Cinder snarled. "Everything is moving so fast I can barely keep up! One week I'm just trying to survive Skyfall, keeping my head down, dealing with Em's stupid demands, and the next I've got a human boyfriend and a Thunderbird girlfriend and we're stealing ancient Corpse Seekers and robbing banks on Arx!"

  Her feathers shifted through a kaleidoscope of troubled colors - deep purples bleeding into stormy grays.

  "And Vee - Abyss! Vee was always SO EFFIN’ ANNOYING with her constant selfies and her valley girl chatter, meme jokes and her endless stupid hashtags! But she was REAL underneath all that! She actually cared about things! She actually cared about ME! And now she's just... GONE!" Cinder's eyes filled with tears. "And I didn't even get to tell her that she was my best friend! That I started to fucking care about her again, after we drifted apart in grade ten!"

  Cinder's claws dug deep into her hands.

  "What kind of a shitty girlfriend am I?! I couldn't protect her! I couldn't stop her father from destroying her! I just stood there like a useless KNOB, got knocked out while they took her away!"

  "And you!" Cinder's claws raked across her feathers, leaving more iridescent trails.

  “Me?” I raised an eyebrow.

  "Why the fuck are you even tolerating me?! I'm such a horrible girlfriend to you too! I keep threatening you and shaking you and getting angry at everything you do! Even when you're just trying to help people! Even when you're trying to protect everyone by changing your identity!"

  Her entire body started to tremble as the stress of the day finally boiled over.

  "I couldn't protect you from getting arrested! I couldn't stop Satosh from taking you to prison! What kind of an awful Hearth Shield am I… if I haven't even cooked you a single meal?! I'm... so shit at everything!"

  More tears streamed down her face, making her feathers glisten with rainbow patterns.

  Cinder's claws raked across her shoulders, leaving more iridescent trails. "And now I'm just standing here, having a complete mental breakdown in front of you like some kind of pathetic LOSER! Because I can't handle ANY of this! Because I'm not strong enough or smart enough or GOOD enough!"

  Her wings wrapped around herself protectively, feathers shifting through shades of midnight blue and stormy gray.

  "Everyone else seems to just... handle everything! Vee was always so confident, even with her stupid valley girl act! Katherine just rolls with everything! Even Io just accepts whatever chaos happens! But I'm just... FALLING APART!"

  She slumped against the wall, sliding down to sit on the floor, her wings curled tight around her trembling form.

  "And the worst part? The absolute WORST part?! I actually started to believe we could make this work! That… maybe I could actually have something good in my life! That maybe I wasn't just some failure, a loser who fell for a pretty face, couldn't even handle ONE stupid Skinwalker without needing Em to rescue me!"

  I sat down next to Cinder.

  "Tell me more about feeling like a failure," I said. "What makes you think you're not handling things well?"

  "Because I'm sitting here crying like an idiot!" Cinder sniffled, her wings trembling. "While you're making plans and organizing everything!"

  "And crying makes you weak?" I asked gently.

  "YES!" She barked. "No... I don't know! Everyone else seems so put together!"

  "Do you think maybe they're just better at hiding their feelings?" I suggested. "Kat drinks, I made her cry when I told her that I’m Martin. Io mellows his feelings with interdimensional smokes. Vee hid her real self behind the valley girl persona."

  "But you..." Cinder started.

  "I compartmentalize," I explained. "Break everything into manageable chunks, split it between four souls. Focus on what I can control. Doesn't mean I'm not terrified or distraught about losing Vee. I'm keeping myself together by shoving Alexander Glock forward, who is quite frankly a psychopath who doesn't care about people."

  "Yeah," she let out. "You just switch personas. Like it's nothing. Manipulate people like they're are just... pieces on a chessboard. What if one day you decide I'm not... optimal? What if you just... replace me too?"

  “Do you believe I see you as replaceable?"

  Her ocean-blue eyes met mine, vulnerable. "Don't you?"

  I crossed my arms.

  "Do you really think that after everything we've been through, after all the crazy shit we've pulled through together, that I would see you as replaceable?"

  "You literally just talked about replacing yourself with a new identity!"

  "I'm replacing Skyfall student Alexander Glock," I said. "Who was never real to begin with."

  "See!" She growled. "You manipulate everything and everyone, including yourself! How do I know I'm not just another piece in your grand plan?"

  "You are," I said. "As am I. As everyone else is."

  Cinder stared at me.

  "We're all part of each other's plans," I continued calmly. "I'm not some all-capable, all-successful mastermind or a Gary Sue. Since Tuesday, I've been manipulated by Vespera. She was the one who put the Resonance skill in me, built this convex mirror radar dish thing inside me that allows me to store some mana and to bounce magic off five Omnids. She's the master Crystallographer who's been subtly guiding me to free her."

  "She… huh?" Cinder blinked at me.

  "Think about it. Every major move we've made? The crystal tower? Something only she can use. Possy. Her familiar that neither of us can drive. My ability to channel magic across multiple Omnids? That's all her."

  "Are you saying that you're just... her puppet?" Cinder growled.

  "More like her most ambitious project. She gradually optimized my human ass, Ci. Allowed me to use Omnid magic, which is what I wanted to do regardless. I figured it all out by relying on Magdaline’s Scrutimancy."

  "So Vee was manipulating all of us?" Cinder asked. "Set you and me up?"

  "She was setting up a way for us to save her. She knew her father would eventually erase her. So… She built safeguards into me, into us. The soul-bond, the crystal tower, Possy–they're all tools she needed to ensure her real self could survive."

  "But... why didn't she tell us?"

  "I don't know," I shrugged. "Maybe she was going to tell us and got caught sooner. The point is that I miss her too. She's a manipulative, clever birb... and I miss every bit of her. I got used to having her by our side, pushing and motivating and doing stuff."

  I spun Alexander Glock and Christophorus Elijah away, leaving only Martin there staring at Cinder with a distraught face.

  "And now I'm just... lost," I admitted, letting my real emotions show. "I don't know how exactly to get her back. I don't know if we can get her back or if she'll even be the same. I'm terrified that we'll fail her."

  Cinder's wings shifted to a softer shade of blue. "You... you actually do care."

  "Of course I care," I said. "I'm just really good at hiding it behind Alexander's smug facade. But right now? I'm scared. I'm angry. I want to burn SimmiTech to the ground for what they did to her. No, scratch that, I will absolutely destroy SimmiTech for this."

  My hands closed into fists.

  "I will ruin them," I continued, letting my anger show. "But I have to be smart about it. I can't just charge in like a berserker. I need to be methodical, surgical. And I need your help, Ci. I can't do this alone."

  Cinder's feathers shifted to a more determined shade of blue-gray. "What's the plan then?"

  "First, we need to establish my new identity at Skyfall. Then we start gathering intelligence on SimmiTech, find their weaknesses. We'll need to be patient, careful."

  "And Vee?" Cinder asked.

  "We'll see her on Monday," I said.

  "And if she doesn't show up? What if she's already been taken to Thunderland and marries Zheng earlier?"

  "Then we'll make new plans with our Scruts and go get her," I said. "Kidnap her and bring her to Arx."

  Cinder sighed, wings turning black and gray.

  "Stop darkening like a storm cloud. You're amazing," I reached out to her. "You're strong, way stronger than me. You survived two years, alone, against an Astral Phantom Outsider in your soul. You're brave. And you're exactly the girl I need to keep going, to put on a new mask that'll help us get Vee back."

  Her ocean-blue eyes met mine.

  "You want to know why I love you?" I smiled. "Because you're real. You're not pretending to be something you're not. You feel everything so deeply, paint it on your wings and that's beautiful."

  "But I keep messing up..." she let out.

  "Everyone messes up," I said. "But you keep trying. You keep fighting. That's what matters."

  I pulled her into a tight hug, letting her bury her face in my shoulder.

  "You don't mess up," she mewled.

  "Shush. I mess up all the time," I said into her feathers. "I just hide it better. Remember how I completely blue-screened when I first saw you? Couldn't even form words?"

  Cinder let out a watery laugh against my shoulder. "Yeah. That was pretty pathetic."

  "See? I'm not perfect. I just pretend to be strong, wear a mask. And you know what else?" I stroked her wings gently. "I need you to help me be better. To remind me to feel things sometimes, instead of just calculating everything. Right?"

  "R-right," she nodded. Her face slowly flowed into a mostly human one and she gave me a soft kiss.

  “Ugh,” she said after a few minutes of making out. “You bought me a farm and I didn’t give you shit.”

  "Shh," I pressed my finger to her lips. "You've given me plenty. Your trust, your strength, your heart. You and Vee gave me Quetzi and Thunder magic. That's worth more than any farm. Also, you two gave me this awesome jacket."

  "Cheese-ball," she muttered. “Say… does this prison have a fabrication lab?”

  “It does,” I nodded. "Room 988."

  "Perfect," Cinder's feathers shifted to a more determined shade of blue. "I want to make you something."

  "What kind of something?" I asked.

  "A surprise," she said, getting off me.