Jade closed the door behind her with a loud thud, letting a small bit of her frustration loose with the action. The noise was satisfying, a punctuation mark that noted the end of the countless meetings and debriefings L-Ref, and director Irene Holston, had put her through. She followed Luis and Naomi along a short hallway and down a set of stairs, noting that they too walked with weary steps and slumped shoulders.

  The three of them, both individually and as a group, had been extensively questioned on everything. None of their experiences had been left untouched, from their actions in Estelhelm to the battle in the corespace on the 3rd floor. More than one L-Ref official had been unhappy with their conduct in the Labyrinth's cities, but Jade was past the point of caring. They'd stopped a demon army from breaking out of a dimensional prison and invading Earth for its weapons of mass destruction. So what if they hadn't got everything perfectly?

  She caught a whiff of tension and exhaustion coming from Naomi, the turbulent emotions tasting sweet to her demonic senses. Jade felt her hands curl into fists as she realized just how worn down the three of them were. They had returned with a warning after a successful mission to protect Earth, and this was the welcome they received? Constant second guessing and over analyzing? After a week of tedious meetings, she was done with it. Jade thought of Luis's injured arm, still on the mend, and Fenrin's losses. Their victory had been paid for with blood, and the fight wasn't over yet. Her own injured eye still hadn't fully recovered, although the blurriness was slowly improving.

  No. She was done with this.

  A uniformed soldier ushered the three of them through a set of double doors and out into the Washington D.C. L-Ref compound. The place was even busier than the first time they had visited and had been substantially built up in the short time they'd been gone. Multiple new buildings formed a rough square around which a motor pool of armored vehicles had been established. Soldiers and administrators moved with purpose in every direction, and multiple helicopters buzzed passed overhead.

  "Was it always this noisy?" Luis asked, leading the way down the steps and onto the path that would take them towards the compound's exit.

  "They're getting ready to shift more of their forces to the camps inside the Labyrinth." Jade reminded him. "It's supposed to stop monsters from making it through the portals."

  "I really hope that works." Naomi said, speaking loudly to be heard over the sound of a low flying aircraft. "I got in touch with some friends last night, and they keep telling me stories about monsters tearing through city streets back home."

  "I thought you said all anyone would talk to you about was that video of you playing guitar in the middle of the street while army rangers gunned down dragons?" Luis laughed.

  Naomi scowled at him.

  "That stopped after I started blocking anyone who wouldn't shut up about it."

  Jade snorted, feeling relieved that her friends could still joke around after everything they'd been through.

  "I don't know about you two, but I'm ready to get back into the Labyrinth. If I need to sit through another one of those meetings, I might snap."

  "If they didn't have to let us go back, I bet they'd try to keep us here longer. But there's barely a day left on my wayfarer timer."

  Jade checked her own Labyrinth interface, which was severely limited in function while not within the bounds of the strange, magical world that connected realms across the multiverse. The current readout read 25 hours, 43 minutes, and 15 seconds. The timer continued ticking as she watched, counting down to the moment that she would be transported back into the Labyrinth.

  "At least they listened to us about the weapons." Luis said, leaning in and lowering his voice. "Can you believe they were going to start stockpiling nukes at the compound here?"

  Upon their return Jade had immediately shared her suspicions about the demon intentions with director Holston, and it came to light that plans had been put in motion to prepare an emergency stockpile of tactical nuclear devices for potential rapid deployment within the Labyrinth. That proposal was now on hold, fortunately, although Jade had a lingering bad feeling about it.

  "So, what now?" Naomi asked.

  Jade blinked, realizing that she'd missed the past several moments of the conversation.

  "Ahh… I'm seeing Alan tonight." She said, checking her new phone. It had a new number, which had proved necessary after her identity as a wayfarer had gotten out. Apparently, that status was enough to make everyone who had ever met her, and what felt like another third of the planet's population, want to connect. "You're going to be with your families, right?"

  "Yeah, they flew in last night. It was the first flight they managed to get." Naomi said.

  "My folks had to drive. Turns out an extradimensional invasion really messes with the economy."

  Jade nodded absently, grateful that her brother and father had an easier time getting to D.C. to see her. While her father had returned to Michigan to take care of some family matters, Alan was still in town. Tonight was the first free time they'd had in days, and she planned to make the most of it.

  "Labyrinth entrance tomorrow at noon, right?" Naomi asked as they neared the compound exit.

  She pulled a baseball cap low over her face and raised the hood of her jacket. Luis followed suit and Jade, waiting for a moment when no one was looking, shifted her appearance. She concentrated, making her blonde hair fade to an off-black and gave her skin a darker tan. All of them were tired of getting recognized on the street.

  "Noon." Jade agreed, and Luis gave them a thumbs up.

  One more day. Just one more day, and they'd be back at it again. Fighting their way through monsters, exploring ancient tombs, and thwarting demon plots. Jade was a little surprised to find that she was somewhat looking forward to it. The adventures had and powers gained were thrilling, even with the danger. If nothing else, the Labyrinth would get them away from the ongoing L-Ref inquiries. And then there was her meeting with Siora in Illysport to check on her progress on finding a cure for her brother…

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  But tonight, she would put that all aside. Tonight was for family.

  Crack!

  Alan's swing connected, sending the baseball arcing high across the field, over the pitching machine, and into the mesh netting at the far end of the batting cage. He stepped back, resting the bat on his shoulder and turned a triumphant grin on his sister.

  "Nice one, champ." She said with a matching smile, clapping softly. "What was that, eight for ten? Pretty good!"

  "Looks like I've still got it." Alan said softly, exiting the cage and handing the bat to Jade. "At least a little bit."

  Jade's younger brother was slight of build, with a mop of light brown hair that had never quite matched her blonde. She fought hard to suppress a frown as she saw how thin it had gotten, one of the many side effects of the chemotherapy he was constantly undergoing. But Jade had promised her brother: No talking about anything serious.

  "You're up, Jay."

  Jade accepted the bat and squared up beside the plate. It was just the two of them, and she was back in her familiar human form. She was still getting used to wearing normal street clothes again and felt an itch to be back in her armor. Not that she was ever going to show Alan that ridiculous outfit.

  "What do you want it at?" Alan asked, standing at the controls.

  Jade gave the bat a couple of test swings. It had been years since she'd held one, but it felt light in her grip.

  "Crank it up."

  Alan gave her a thumbs up and turned the dial all the way to the right and then pushed a button. There was a loud beep, and the light in the cage turned from green to yellow. Jade only vaguely remembered the proper stance and did her best to copy her brother. A clattering sound announced the launch of the first ball, which burst from the pitching machine in a blur of motion. Jade tracked it, waiting for the right moment, and swung.

  Clink!

  Her bat brushed the ball as it blasted past her, ricocheting into the ground before bouncing around the cage behind her. Part of Jade was surprised at how slow the ball seemed, she was pretty sure that the cage's maximum setting was over 80 miles per hour, and yet she tracked it with ease. If anything, she swung too soon.

  She connected weakly with the next two pitches, fouling them off in various directions. With each swing, the bat seemed to fit a little better in her grip. Jade felt herself slipping into the realm of focus, where everything else began to fade. It was a mindset she had cultivated over years of hard gymnastics training before adapting it for use in combat in the Labyrinth. And now, perfected…

  She was using it in a mundane batting cage.

  Jade snorted at the thought, distracting herself just as the next ball whooshed by to slam into the back of the cage.

  Whoops.

  Steadying herself, Jade got ready for the next pitch. It came a moment later, a streak of white rushing towards her-

  Crack!

  The bat connected with a ringing reverberation that ran up Jade's arms, giving her an oddly satisfying sense of feedback. The ball blasted into the sky, arcing high across the field. She repeated the feat with the rest of the pitches, managing a solid hit on each one until, finally, the machine clicked off.

  "Holy- You should try out for the majors, Jay!"

  Alan opened the door and joined her, taking the bat and looking it over. He raised an eyebrow.

  "You dented it."

  Sure enough, when Jade looked down at the bat there were several new dents along its aluminum length.

  "It's just the boons the Labyrinth gave me." Jade laughed, setting the bat back on the rack. "I didn't suddenly become a baseball prodigy."

  Her smile slipped for a moment as a thought surfaced. With her magically enhanced strength and agility, Jade was far faster and stronger than any normal human. There was no way she'd ever be allowed to compete in normal gymnastics competitions again. Part of her had already known that, but in the very beginning when her foot was first healed, it had been as if that dream were suddenly back within reach. Now, as silly as that thought seemed when confronted with the realities of the danger Earth was in, she had to face it.

  And it hurt.

  "You'll get other chances." Alan said softly, touching her arm.

  Jade couldn't help but smile. Her brother had always been the insightful one.

  "Speaking of other chances, you looked good in there. Think you'll be feeling up to joining the school team again sometime soon?"

  "I hope so. Coach says he'll hold a spot for me for as long as I like. But… I don't want to be the reason someone else doesn't get to play. Someone reliable."

  Jade saw their L-Ref security person, one of the officers who the director insisted accompany her everywhere while she was on Earth, waving from the door. It was time to go.

  "It's okay to be a little selfish sometimes." Jade said, leading the way towards the exit. "You need to take care of yourself, too."

  "Maybe…"

  They left the entertainment center in silence, following the guard back towards a black government sedan that was idling in the parking lot. The entire place had been emptied out just for them, which felt over the top to Jade. But as long as she got to spend some time with family, she didn't really care.

  "Think you can show me some more magic later?" Alan asked quietly, changing the subject and grinning eagerly at his sister.

  Their escort shot them a disapproving look, but Jade waved her off.

  "Maybe. If I get the okay." She said. And then, more quietly. "Or if we find a way to slip the men in black."

  They laughed together, getting into the back seat of the car. If it took Alan a little longer than normal to work himself into the seat, neither of them commented on it.

  "Director Holston arranged lodging at the L-Ref compound for your team, for your last night here." The officer told her as she slid into the driver's seat. She was tall for a woman, easily a head taller than both Jade and Alan. "Ready?"

  Jade nodded and they set off, entering a side street and driving back into town. It was late evening, and a light rain was coming down. Though it was a weekday, there weren't many cars on the road. With all the uncertainty, and government restrictions on travel, most people were continuing to hunker down in their homes. They started passing a few cars as they turned onto a main road, but the city was eerily empty.

  "Luis's mother offered to let me stay with their family while dad finishes taking care of things back home." Alan said. He was on his phone, paging through tabs of something Jade couldn't see.

  "Really?" She asked, surprised. "That's kind of them."

  She had briefly met Luis's family the other day. His mother and sisters were as compassionate and friendly as she would have guessed, given his disposition.

  "Yeah. It will be better than the barracks room the L-Ref people have me staying in. Ah… No offense." He added towards the driver.

  "None taken." She snorted. "On base living isn't a luxury- Shit!"

  The driver cursed as she swerved to avoid a van that had suddenly cut them off.

  "Damn drivers are getting stupider every-"

  The van, now in front of them, slammed on the brakes without warning. The driver swerved again, but there was no way to avoid the collision. Jade flung out an arm to hold Alan in place as she braced herself against the front seat, just in time to shelter them from the violent impact as the two vehicles crunched together, grinding to a stop with the shrieking sound of metal on metal. Through the deploying airbags and billowing smoke curling up from the hood of the car, Jade could see the rear doors of the van open. Multiple figures clad in black, unmarked military fatigues leapt onto the pavement. They were armed and were heading right for them.