Sparks woke to the steady beep of a heart monitor and the hiss of a respirator. Bright white light pressed against his eyes and his lungs stung with every breath—but the pain faded almost immediately. Aerosolized healing tonic, he gathered. Expensive.

  Two blurred shapes stood at the foot of his bed. One, a lab-coated tabbi holding a clipboard. The other—Sparks’s eyes focused. His pulse spiked.

  An orc.

  Sparks had never seen an orc before but knew the stories. Bloody, violent tales of the wars they waged across the lands above. Savages who ripped and tore through their opponents, leaving a bloody wasteland in their wake.

  This one was powerfully built—nearly six feet tall—dressed in a black and purple tailored suit with gold trim. Dark green skin blended with his midnight black hair slicked into a neat ponytail. An intricately tattooed hand rested on the hilt of a jeweled weapon at his side. A large gem at the base of his neck glinted in the light. Nothing outwardly savage about him…and yet Sparks felt every hair standing on end.

  "You're finally awake." His calm authority rippled in a deep baritone.

  A crushing pressure poured over Sparks—ancient and vast. Kindling burst forth from a whirl of flame, massive and snarling, placing itself between him and the orc. The doctor yelped and stumbled back.

  The orc didn’t even blink. He reached a hand toward the roaring elemental, almost curious. Kindling’s claws swiped in defense but passed harmlessly through his fingers.

  "Fascinating," the orc said. Then, to Sparks, "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you. In fact, I owe you a debt of gratitude, Sparks of Life."

  Sparks sat upright, laying a hand on Kindling’s flank. "You have me at a disadvantage…Mister?"

  A slow smile. "I get that a lot."

  The pressure returned—focused this time, like a blade pressing against his mind. Sparks clenched his jaw, fighting the intrusion, rushing to lock down his thoughts and memories. Kindling joined his mad mental sprint and together they pushed the orc out entirely. The orc blinked once. A thin trickle of blood escaped Sparks’s nose. "Impressive," the orc said. "Who hired you?"

  Sparks wiped the blood away. "Client confidentiality."

  "I could find out easily, you know. I only relented because, as I said, I'd like to thank you."

  Kindling answered on his own with another roar and swipe. The orc gave a single, crushing glare and the elemental retreated, shrinking into a housecat-sized flame that perched indignantly on Sparks’s lap.

  "Thank me for what?" Sparks asked cautiously.

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  "For confirming a theory," the orc replied. "What happened at the incursion pool was…useful. Enlightening, even. Only a few people even knew the project existed. I assume you’ve spoken with Howard Newlins?"

  Sparks kept his face absolutely blank.

  "No matter. The point is: you’ve helped."

  Movement to the side caught his eye—Buck and Hazelnut were stirring on nearby gurneys. Sparks narrowed his eyes. "This ‘help’ wouldn’t have anything to do with Eidolons, would it?"

  The orc simply gestured to Kindling. "You'd know better than I.'

  *  *  *

  Buck groaned as consciousness returned. His head throbbed but the painkillers were doing their job. A similar groan came from his left as Hazelnut woke a moment later. As his eyes adjusted, he spotted the orc—standing calmly in his suit—and Sparks sitting upright with a glowing fire-cat curled on his lap.

  The orc held his arms open wide as he addressed them all together. "Welcome back. My name is Feng Adamantine Aether. This is my company. I'd apologize for your injuries but you are trespassing." A dark furred tabbi in a lab coat examined the machines monitoring their vitals.

  "If we're trespassing, why bother to patch us up?" Buck asked, pulling a mask away from his face. "I'm surprised we woke up at all, to be honest." He stretched a few muscle groups. Everything seemed to be in working order, just sore.

  Feng shrugged. "Killing you would be messy and unscrupulous, especially with so many police now pounding at my door."

  The tabbi doctor looked up from Hazelnut’s monitor. "Their vitals look good, sir. Speaking of the police, I really must go before my sister-" She stopped short as Feng raised a palm.

  "Of course. Go. Give Lieutenant Chorus my regards." The doctor placed the clipboard down on a nearby table and left the room in a hurry. "As I was informing Sparks," Feng continued, "as Aethercorp we must frown upon your recent actions. However, I'm willing to let it slide considering the data it provided. You have allowed us some insight into a potential worldly threat. I believe the presence of Eidolons could signify a return of some long-bested foe." He motioned towards Kindling. "I feared corruption, but seeing this—this union—it puts many of my fears to rest."

  Kindling stood proudly on Sparks' lap, eyes squeezed shut and purring loudly.

  "So what is to become of us?" Sparks asked.

  "That depends on you. I have no interest in how you all proceed to live your lives. As long as you keep this Eidolon business quiet and resist the urge to break any more of my equipment, I don't see any reason to keep you. I have plenty to do with this new information. All of them are fully active now." Feng silently regarded the elemental for a moment with a far away look.

  "Just one last thing," he added, turning to Buck. "Pardon the intrusion but I didn't get to where I am today by trusting people."

  "What do you-AAUGH!"

  Feng didn’t touch him—he didn’t have to. Buck felt a force tear its way into his mind, flipping through his memories like a cheap paperback novel. "Interesting," Feng’s voice echoed. "You've already seen two." He breezed past memories of the nightmare and Buck flinched. Feng noticed and circled back for a closer look. "Hmm. For a detective I think you missed something there." Buck gasped as the pressure ceased.

  He turned towards Hazelnut. "Your turn."

  The door to the room burst open and a panic-stricken platypus stormed in, looking worse for wear. "Sir! There's a situation and we need-" He froze, recognizing the squirrel on the gurney. "Hazelnut? What are you doing here?"

  Hazelnut turned away. The orc eyed them both, not needing to delve very deep to see their memories bubbling to the surface.

  "Awkward..." Feng said under his breath. Then sharper: "Groubledon. Why aren't you at your post? Report to your supervisor immediately. We’ll talk about this later."

  "Yes, uh...yes sir. Right away, sir." He gave Hazelnut one last hurt look and hurried out.

  Feng offered Hazelnut a business card. "You’re remarkably resourceful. I may have use for you someday. If you ever want a legitimate job…call me." He turned to all three intruders. "In summary, thank you for the breakthrough but the next time you want a tour, just ask." He drew a circle in the air; the tattoo on his hand glowed, and a shimmering portal irised open.

  "The exit is that way." He stepped through—and vanished.

  None of them spoke as they unhooked themselves and stepped through the portal. It deposited them behind the police cordon, out of sight of the crowds and searchlights. Hazelnut was suddenly speared to the ground by a black, feathery blur. Illani slammed into her at full speed, arms wrapping tightly around her.

  "I-I thought you were—I couldn’t see you—I thought—"

  Krouri landed beside them, relief written across her face. "You’re alive. Thank the Skywall." She glanced toward the plant, then back to the group. "Questions later. We’re too exposed here. Let's meet back up at Hazelnut's in an hour."