"What?"

Footsteps.

"Wait – you don't know anything about this?"

"What messenger about what? What's going on?"

Flaslights bob down the hallway ahead of us.

"Shhhit," he hisses.

We get to the back of the Market and crouch in the shadows.

"Last night, about twenty minutes after you showed up, an old one came."

"Came to where? To here?"

He nods.

"She talked to us, then to someone across at the Terminal. She came back last night to make sure about…"

"Rich, spit it out."

"I found them!" someone shouts behind us. I turn as a fists finds my jaw and go sprawling to the floor. People are shouting.

Someone's hitting me again.

//

Get up – you have the sword.

"I'm tired."

Then let me.

"Fuck that-

//

I'm already lunging, throwing punches. One of them goes down, but something nails me in the back of the head.

Feels like a baseball bat. And my body pitches forward. I'm falling. Falling. Falling.

//

until my face hits white and black pebbles, before a huge dark paw.

see now, he says,

where those you trusted deliver you

* * *

ATTN Reader:

It is at this point that we offer an apology, and editorial commnt.

Our publisher demands that certain affairs be delivered in this chatper, but during Cypress's stay at the Forks Market, matters continue to escalate at the Terminal.

We therefore break with convention to honor the Story, and present you with what we have termed The Montage, as the events of August Twenty-Fourth are revealed through a series of 'patchwork' accounts.

Enjoy.

-The Editors

* * *

* * *

whenever I'm alone with you

you make me feel like I am free again

whenever I'm alone with you

you make me feel like I am clean again

* * *

* * *

michelle :

Someone meets him at the doors.

A tall handsome man with black hair and a large shotgun.

The Duster leads him away into the darkness of the Market and the doors close.

I step back into the Terminal and light a smoke.

Kerri and Chloe are staring at me. Kerri's a Beta and Chloe's a Ceta – from floor ten. They're usually stuck to each other's hip.

"…what?" I say.

"…is it true?" Kerri asks.

"Is what true?" I look to Chloe, and she looks away before saying,

"That he's gone forever?"

"No, of course not," I tell them. They nod to each other and start walking away. "Wait," I call. "Who told you that?"

"Diane."

"Who'd Diane hear it from?"

"From Kim."

"And where'd Kim hear it?"

"Saku," Chloe says, as Kerri slugs her once in the arm.

"Idiot," Kerri hisses.

I nod.

"Thanks."

* * *

Lisa sits crosslegged on a heap of old pillows in a clothing store. She's cleaning her rifle.

"I heard a rumor," I tell her.

"Oh yeah?" she grins up at me. "What's that?"

"Someone said Cypress isn't coming back from the boys."

Glancing up at me, she's trying to guage my feelings on this.

But I just stare back at her. And she's got to explain herself;

"He abandoned us," she says. "For Crow, of all people!"

"He didn't abandon us – he came back."

"For her."

"For all of us. And what's wrong with Crow, all of a sudden?"

She narrows her eyes at me.

"Why are you defending her? Or him?" she snaps.

"Because they haven't done anything wrong – why isn't Cypress coming back?"

And now she pauses.

"It's a long story," she says.

"I've already heard one long story today, I'm well-prepared for another."

"Then sit down," she tells me. "But it's already too late."

"…what did you do?"

"Somebody get some beers!" she shouts. Then, nodding at me. "We'll need beer."

* * *

sophia :

She's been sobbing all morning.

She was crying in her sleep.

"…and that's it. I'm past the second step," she says, sitting up and wiping her face.

But I don't understand –

"What steps?"

"Well first I was in disbelief – that was before I saw them in bed together? Then I went into mourning." She's wiping her face. Hard. "Now I'm… give it time…"

She falls back – those sharp black spikes falling against her shoulders.

"Crow…"

"How could he fuck Michelle?" she says now. "Well, of course he fucked Michelle. Fucker!"

"Crow?"

"Anger! That must be the third step… anger…" She's finding herself a smoke.

How come I'm never on the bed?

How come someone else is always on the bed, and I'm always on the floor or the chair beside it?

"Crow!"

"What?" she snaps I nod towards my twin hand cannons on the desk in the corner.

"I'll bet you every round I have for the Eagles that Cypress never touched Michelle."

She narrows her eyes.

"How would you know?"

And panick. Panick is setting in.

Awful stuff, panick.

It makes you feel like you'd rather be dead, than wherever you are.

But I'm breathing.

And I'm breathing.

"I'm just… sure of it," I tell her. Shit, my voice is shaking again.

I should just tell her.

I should tell her, and then it would be out.

And then everyone would know.

Everyone.

"It doesn't matter what you say – I saw them in bed together. Fuck her – fuck him – fuck them both – hope they're happy fuckin' together!"

"Look, it's okay, really-"

"Naw, Sophie. No, you don't get it."

"He loves you," I say. But she sits up.

Her eyes are so cold. I mean, I know everyone always says that.

But you won't understand it 'till you look at her. And what makes it worse is, then she says;

"Love? That's just a fuckin' word. That means shit. What we feel? And what he feels? Not the same thing!"

all without blinking.

But I shake my head.

"No, he really does."

"How would you know?"

She's just staring at me. Staring at me.

And I get the feeling she can see me – she's picking me apart through my layers of baggy cloth. And I pull my hat town, shielding my eyes from hers.

"Ah – fuck you all," she says, kicking her legs over my head to hop off the bed.

With a whiny moan, the door comes ajar to reveal Michelle. I get so used to looking at people's bottom halves, sometimes I forget what they look like.

I know Michelle by her boots and cargo camis.

"Sophie," Michelle says.

"Yeah?"

"C'mon – the Tower needs you."

"What?"

"And Crow – I'll meet you up in your room on the fifth."

"Naw – fuck you, Michelle."

…whoah.

"Ex-cuuze me?" Michelle drawls. "Sophie; I'll meet you in the bar. Crow; sit the fuck down."

But Crow just pushes past me, towards the door.

"Awww… do you really love him, Red?"

But what's Michelle going to say to that?

Everyone does.

"Sit down, Crow."

"Did he say it back? Did he tell you that? Did he whisper it while he tugged at your sweater?" Crow's pouty little lips, all up in Michelle's face.

…what is she talking about?

But Michelle looks horrified.

The thought finally occurs to me; Maybe Cypress did sleep with Michelle.

"Sophie – get out," the Alpha snaps.

"No – I'm leaving," Crow says.

"No you're-"

Michelle stops her with a hand on the shoulder, but the twin barrels of Crow's shooter appear at the redhead's throat. Huh.

I nod to myself.

Yeah – that would hurt.

At least they're not staring at me.

But Michelle lets Crow slip away. And then she closes the door.

And she turns to me.

"Do you remember your rulebook, Sophie?" she says.

"Yeah – why?"

"Of all the medics out here – who's ranked highest?"

"Field medics?"

"Yeah."

"Me," I point a thumb at my chest.

And Michelle's just nodding.

"Yeah," she says.

Grinning.

"Yeah."

"…why?"

"Do you know where Cypress is, Sophie?" she asks.

What a strange question.

* * *

* * *

i am the son / and the heir / of a shyness that it criminarilly vulgar

you shut your mouth // how can you say / i go about things the wrong way

i am human and i need to be loved // just like everybody else does //

see, i've already waited too long // and all my hope is gone

* * *

* * *

'cypress' :

scratchscratchscratch

snnnnnifflehufflesniffff…

scratchscratchscratch

The ring sits on the far side of the room, caught in the shaft of light from the single window in the room. The tiny thing – about fourteen by ten inches – sits high up slightly off center in the far wall.

At first – an hour ago. The light hadn't been touching the ring.

Then, it touched it. Just grazed it.

Then it held it.

And the wolf has been scratching at that door the entire time.

It's hard to meditate when your repressed childhood savagery is trying like the dickens to get in.

So meditating is out.

I pull off my boot and open up the heel, removing the small baggie of white powder.

scratchscratchscratchscratch

His long wolf-claws, scraping – trying to get under the metal door. Scraping at the concrete floor.

I lick my pinkie.

His barks echoe through the room – it's deafening.

I dip the pinkie in the powder – his body slamming against the door – and slip the pinkie under my tongue.

My heart skips a beat

as a howl rises through the room

above the blood in my ears

And I'm fine.

I'm perfect.

I grin.

I'm strong.

Outside – behind that hard metal door – the wolf whines. High-pitched and lonesome.

* * *

sophia :

I'm over on the north side – in the old museum section of the Terminal.

Here a two or three Cetas are posted on watch, looking out the huge floor-to-celing windows onto the parking lot. I'm checking a bandage.

"Have we heard anything yet?" someone asks. I shake my head.

"Not me."

Someone's whispering something behind me. Whispers that form words as someone approaches.

"Alphas and Betas to the bar… Alphas and Betas – meeting at the bar… Alphas and Betas to the bar…" Kim wanders away down the hall, whispering into every room.

I sigh.

* * *

I'm the last one in. Nikki does a head count and closes the doors behind me.

Michelle's standing behind the bar, whipping up shot glasses.

Lisa finds a stool beside Saku, and I sit at the far end with Crow.

"What's going on?" she whispers.

"I can't tell you," I say.

I find a smoke.

"Alright – who here has heard the rumors Cypress won't be coming back from the Market?" Michelle says.

Every hand goes up except Crow's. She gives me a 'whuh?' look.

"So the secret's out. And the truth is this; the old ones found us as soon as Cypress got here. Somehow – we don't know. They'll attack us today, unless they get Cypress."

"Wait – 'get' Cypress, what do you mean, 'get' him?" Crow asks.

"Take him. Alive," Lisa says.

"Who's fuckin' idea was that?"

"Theirs. They said they could come in now and wipe us out, or we could give them…the swordsman, is what they said."

"That's retarded," Crow barks. "If they could come in and wipe us out, don't you think they would? I can't believe you guys went along with this – do the guys know?"

"Oh, why do you even care? You dumped his ass anyway," Lisa snaps.

And Crow pauses.

She can only gape at Lisa.

But Michelle's staring at Crow. Her eyes shoot from Lisa to Crow. Crow to Lisa.

"…that's why…" Michelle whispers.

"…fuck this," Crow says. I reach for her as she hops off her barstool and find she's already gone.

"Fuck it, let her go," Michelle says. And returning to the bar, I find a shot in place for me.

"So – who said yes to this little plan involving Cypress without consulting the rest of us?"

It takes everyone's eyes a moment to settle on Lisa.

"Did it occur to you that perhaps Cypress could have found a way to make it all work? He does that, you know."

But Lisa just shakes her head.

"No, Cypress is having problems. Like, up here," she taps her forehead. Michelle pauses for a moment, but continues.

"And then you proceeded to lie to Crow, telling her I fucked Cypress."

"I thought maybe you came back to the restaurant," Lisa shrugs.

Everyone's staring.

This is something everyone has always sort of hoped would happen. Michelle and Lisa have only had an old-school bitch-out once. This should be good. But-

"Whatever," Michelle shrugs. "Sophie?" she looks to me.

Oh, God, no.

I'm already quaking as I hop over the bar.

Public… speaking…

I'm sweating, but I pull my hat down tighter, looking at Michelle's boots.

"Are you sure?" I whisper to her.

She just pats my shoulder.

"Go ahead," she says.

"…as… as Chief Medical Officer in the field, I invoke Rule Fifteen. I believe Lisa is in an unfit state of mind to lead, and relieve her of command. I suggest Michelle as replacement," I say.

My face is pale, but I'm sweating. And I can't see anything. I can't see anything.

I pull my hat up a little.

Oh, there we go.

Lisa is just staring blankly at me.

"You… little… bitch," she says.

I can't think of anything to say.

But Michelle's hand is on my shoulder.

"All against?" Michelle says.

Lisa's arm shoots up.

Then Saku, and of course Diane. Kristen follows shortly, but Martha doesn't stick with her floor. Her hand stays near the shot in front of her, despite an elbow from Saku

"I still stand as leader," Lisa says. Saku shakes her head.

"No you don't – Sophie's the Medic," Saku says. "And she relieves you. But I vote for yours truly." But now Martha elbows Saku and shakes her head.

And now, Saku caves.

And now instead of four on three, it's one to six.

And Lisa can't do anything but agree as Michelle tells them to figure out a way to get the swordsman back. Clapping an arm around my shoulders, she leads me out of the bar.

"Get Crow back," she says to me. "Tell her Cypress needs her."

I sigh.

When Crow wants her Alone Time, you give it to her.

But an order's an order.

And you always know where to find a pissy Crow at the Forks.

I squint in the early-afternoon Sun, and pull my hat down over my eyes.

Damned Sun.

Did you know that like, a hundred years ago? Wayyy before the war, the Sun didn't burn exposed skin. It really didn't.

Apparantly all the factories the old ones had did something. Messed up the Sun or the World or something. Cypress told me that.

I sigh.

Out, behind the Johnston Terminal at the Forks is a low stone theatre – sort of looks like it's carved into the world. At the very bottom, the very center, Crow lies with her legs spread – chin up – arms reaching out. Fingers spread.

I never understood why she does that.

She says she likes feeling free.

"Crow," I say softly. She smiles sweetly, singing back;

"Fuck off, Sweetie."

"Crow, there's a lot no one's really heard. You need to know some stuff." I'm standing over her, and she holds a hand up to block the Sun.

"If it's about him, I don't want to hear it."

"Yeah, it's about him, but it's not about him and me or him and you or anyone else. It's just him. It's somethin' he told Michelle."

She narrows her eyes at me.

"This better be good," she says.

I sit on the central pad next to her and cross my legs as she sits up.

"Cypress… isn't well," I say.

"Well no shit, Sherlock, he had an army of old ones after him."

"No," I frown. "I mean like… in the head."

She squints in the Sun.

"…what?"

* * *

* * *

however far away / i will always love you

however long i stay / i will always love you

whatever words i say / i will always love you / i will always love you

* * *

* * *

'cypress' :

just slip it on, he whispers

He's been saying it for hours.

In various forms.

I've played with it – thrown it across the room and back.

Balanced it on my nose.

just slip it on

He's tireless.

just slip it on

"No! Fuck off!"

I shake my head vigorously. That works sometimes.

slip it on

I grip my hair at the roots and moan.

slip it on, he whispers.

For hours.

This wolf. My fuckin' imaginary friend when I was four.

He's killing me.

This is killing me.

"Augh God…"

I'm clutching my head.

your fingerrrr…

This wolf. What did he do to Michelle?

//

valid question, he says as I step across the mountaintop.

"So tell me – and stop trying to put the ring on."

He grins at me – though you might not see it as that. You'd have to know him. But he grins as he crunches through the gravel across from me.

hm

saw that, did you?

grasshopper

I look down at our feet. Black and white pebbles. I never noticed how red the white stones turn in the sunset before just now.

"Yes, well, I've grown accustomed to your shit again," I smile back.

then deal with this, he says, plopping down in front of me.

"…what?"

you'll see

"I don't see what you have to be angry about – I suffered through the dream for your sake."

His shaggy black head turns towards the valley.

true

i was playing in the monestary earlier

"Really."

yes

it would seem the entire valley is open to me

now

He's grinning again.

"How nice for you. Shouldn't you be satisfied for now with your new jungle gym?"

a beautiful cage is still a cage

om

"What did you do with Michelle?"

His big head snaps back up to me – red eyed blazing.

things you would have thoroughly enjoyed

i'm sure

"Tell me –"

a gentleman would never

"You're such a prick-"

leave

then

I stand. I will, then. And I-.

And I…

I decide to leave. I snap back.

I snap back.

His red eyes blazing.

I can't get out.

such a cage

and to keep me imprisoned here for

ten

years

But I rise from the pebbles.

I'm strong.

I'll leave.

such a cage

I am centered.

I am-

//

…landing on the floor of the room.

I look up at the wall – a bloody splatter six feet high.

He was bashing our head against the wall.

And the ring is, indeed, back on my hand.

I have to focus on it with my left eye – my right eye is swollen shut.

I pull it off and stare at it.

justslipiton, he whispers.

So I throw it across the room.

Almost immediately, I hear the claws on the metal door.

The wolf's trying to get in.

Needs to get in.

And he'll never stop scratching.

Scratching,

scratching

* * *

bethany 'crow' :

Sophie's shaking more than normal.

I wonder if that means she's lying.

Everyone's lying lately.

It seems that's what we do.

"Go back to the beginning," I say. "I mean like, the beginning."

She sighs.

"It's a long story," she says.

But I light a cigarette.

"Then tell it right fuckin' now, 'cause I'm growing impatient."

And she sighs.

"Goddamnit, Sophie…"

"I'm thinking!" she says. "…okay. Now far as I know, this is what he told Michelle, alright?"

I nod.

"Fine."

"Okay.

Cypress isn't Cypress's real name. When Cypress was a little kid, he climbed a-"

"Yeah, yeah – I've heard the story – Cypress tree – blah blah blah – his Dad starts teaching him Zen."

"Right, and he gives him the ring."

Ring? I take a quick drag.

"What ring?"

"The ring we took off Jessie in year three."