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Chapter 10

Raven stumbled into his office, clutching the stump that had been his right hand. Van was right there beside him - as he always was. The makeshift bandage that was wrapped around his arm radiated with so much pain that it was like someone had stuck a fiery brand into his very bones and was cooking him from the inside. Despite all the strength he had gathered as a budding Overlord, this still came was an incredible shock.

He had been untouchable. Even Simon's treachery could not derail him because of all the plots and strings he had pulled. Maydoor's betrayal was expected and it only accelerated his plans to kill both him and Martha. It was all within the acceptable parameters.

'Make sure your officers will either betray you in the end or are willing to give their life for you.'

That was the advice given to him when he had first set on the path to being an Overlord.

But this... this was completely unexpected.

"We need to take you to the hospital," pleaded Van.

"No," hissed Raven, straightening and fighting against the pain. "If we do, people will talk. They'll ask questions. A police report will need to be filed. We know nothing about our assailants and we certainly can't go asking around. Can't pin the blame on Martha or Ethan either. It'll send _Horizon_into an early grave." He grimaced, staggering towards his desk. They were back in the Realworld; the office was dark and his blood was splattering onto his marble desk as he staggered towards his chair. "The last thing we need right now is to show weakness to anyone. Especially with Sanders skulking about."

The treacherous rabbit had retreated with Airwave under the guise of trying to chase down those Independents. Raven was not too worried. Let Simon go off and join those Martha if he wanted. The rabbit was certainly ambitious but weakened as Raven was right now, he would not dare to attack. One would assume it would be the prime moment to strike but with two other executives currently at large, Simon would make himself a target. If Raven were to die, Sanders would suddenly find himself outnumbered and sandwiched between a furious Van and the Libertatis seeking to dismantle Horizon.

No. Sanders' best option right now was to remain on Raven's good side.

"Raven," Van chastised, his words heavy with concern. "You lost your hand. You've lost a lot of blood! If we don't do anything about it, you could die."

Raven let out a bitter laugh. "This is nothing. It'll give me character. Like Tyr of Norse Mythology." He grunted, using his one good hand to swivel his chair around so it faced the window overlooking the rest of New York City. "Wouldn't that poetic? The God of Reality TV takes on the form of a one-handed crow?"

"You won't be the god of anything if you're dead!" Van exclaimed.

The pain was becoming unbearable and just as he was about to relent, he looked up at his reflection in the window and stopped.

There was a fourth person in the room and his eyes immediately narrowed.

"And who might you be?" he asked, maintaining an air of calm.

For a second, Van was puzzled then Outtake turned around and bared his enormous teeth.

"What the fuck?" growled the enormous gray and white shark. "Who the hell are you?"

The strange figure dressed in a black cloak with a face that looked oddly... blurred or pixelated chuckled softly.

"How would you react if I told you that I am Cue, a Kage of the Custodes Libertatis?"

Raven's heart leapt to his throat and he could not help but let out a pained laugh. Both Van and Outtake stepped in front of his desk, protecting him. "So is this how it ends? The Libertatis relentlessly hounding me and finishing off what their strike squad could not?" He waved down both Van and Outtake. "Leave Van and Outtake out of this. It's me you want. Kill me but spare them."

Van hesitated. "Raven..."

"I asked for you to sacrifice yourself for me so that I may become an Overlord," said the crow wearily. He wasn't sure if it was the blood loss or just general exhaustion. "But there is no point sacrificing yourself if that goal cannot be achieved."

"Do you honestly believe that I am here to kill you? Why would I take the glory of slaying an Overlord that someone else has already fought so hard to achieve?"

There, Raven hesitated and he turned his chair halfway around to regard the mysterious man. It was impossible to tell his species or even what he was really like beneath that mask. He couldn't detect a tail, muzzle or even ears. Just who was this man?

"If you're not here to kill me, then why are you here?"

"Will you be willing to answer questions for me?"

The request was strangely polite and its delivery just made Raven smile. Van and Outtake were about ready to explode in fury but Raven's laughter cut through their anger.

"You know what?" replied the crow, sweat soaking into his shiny, black feathers. "I might as well. If I don't die of blood loss, it wouldn't matter. Your kind are clearly able to infiltrate my headquarters. Someone will be along to try and kill me eventually. Not that they will succeed." He gave Cue a sinister smile. "Heroes don't die, after all. They just fall down and get back up stronger."

"So you believe yourself to be the hero of this story, do you?" Cue chuckled softly. "In that case, will you answer me this question?" The Kage's aura seemed to dark, the air around the office becoming strangely cold. "Who is 'Axiom'?"

Raven lifted his eyebrows in curiosity. "Where did you hear that name?"

"If the Custodes Libertatis are the Watchers of Liberty and they oppose the formation of Overlords, why should I not know that name?"

The CEO of Horizon leaned back in his chair and let out a soft chuckle. "I suppose you make a point." Using his waving strength, he whirled his chair around so that he faced the masked man. "Axiom is the one that told me how to become an Overlord. I met him early on in my career. I attended a seminar about climbing the corporate ladder and becoming a manager, maybe even rising up to become an officer."

"Raven!" Van cried. "Stop talking!"

Raising his only working hand, he waved his most loyal friend down. "Van, please." He locked gazes with Cue - or at least he thought he was looking directly at Cue's eyes. "When Axiom told me how to become an Overlord, he warned me to be on the look out for others like me. Others with grand ambitions and powers that defy the current reality." He let out a bitter laugh. "Can't you see, Van? This Cue is just like me. The Kage of the Libertatis? Either they are his sacrifices or they are others trying to become Overlords looking to sacrifice the thousands that throw themselves at their feet, rallying under some great 'cause' based on the basic rights of freedom."

WHAM!

Raven slammed his one good fist into the table, mustering the strength to rise to his feet. "That's why you want to get rid of us, don't you? You want to become rulers - gods - just like we do. But you're doing it a different way. Instead of having dedicated officers that will gather power for you, you are going to kill the thousands, maybe even millions, of Independents who rally under the name of the Custodes Libertatis so that you can obtain your apotheosis!" He pointed accusingly at Cue. "Who is the real monster here, Kage!? I who would seek to bring stability and order to this world as one of its gods by sacrificing a handful or you who would deceive countless others so that they may die for your cause and form the stepping stones to your ascension!?"

Cue's shoulders sagged in exasperation. "Are you quite done?" The crow hesitated, the air knocked out of his lungs with four quick words. "What makes you honestly believe that I am as egotistical as you? Can you not see that I _just_asked you who Axiom was? Were you unable to ascertain that I want to find the identity of Axiom so that I might find him and stop his attempt to seed this world with corrupt 'gods' and twisted concepts?"

The bleeding CEO of Horizon sat back down in his chair. "Is that so...?" he mumbled. "You fancy yourself the hero in this story?" He let out a short laugh, his eyelids growing heavy. "What makes you think I'd just cooperate with you?"

"How about this?"

Cue waved a hand in his direction, a hand cloaked in a black glove that made it impossible to tell if he had claws, talons or even fingerprints. A soft, white light wreathed Raven's injured hand. That light soothed the pain there and suddenly, it was completely gone. Puzzled, Raven gingerly undid the bloody bandages wrapped around his stump... and was utterly surprised to find that the wound had closed up. Though he still was missing his hand, he was no longer bleeding to death. His eyes widened in surprise... and then those eyes turned back to Cue in horror. Even Van and Outtake regarded the miracle in shock.

"Who _are_you?"

"The better question is," Cue said ominously, "who are you to deny me my answers?" He took a step forward. Both Van and Outtake immediately retreated a step. "Now tell me, who is Axiom?"

"Not another step!" Van shouted, lifting his phone threateningly. "I'm warning you!"

"Do you honestly believe that?" Cue lifted a hand in his direction. "Sudo."

Suddenly, both Van and Outtake were encased in the same brilliant white light that had wreathed Raven's injured limb. Neither could move and both had the terrified looks of someone trapped in the headlights of a speeding eighteen wheeler.

"May you please kneel?" asked the Kage.

Both the panda and his Great White IP fell to their knees, pressing their foreheads against the ground and prostrating themselves to the Kage.

"Stop it!" bellowed Raven, once again rising to his feet. The sudden movement came with a wave of weariness, a crash of nausea from the sudden loss of blood. He managed to catch himself with his one remaining hand, fixing a gaze upon Cue. "I'll tell you what you want. Just don't hurt them. Please."

Cue nodded grimly. "Then tell me, what is Axiom's identity? What do they look like?"

Raven shook his head grimly. "I honestly don't know." Before Cue could punish him, he held up a feathered hand. "Hear me out. Axiom appeared to me as this tall, white tiger with one red eye and the other green. Blonde hair and skinny. Not at all like a tiger. He was male. But... well..." His eyes went to Van. "When he approached me, Van was beside me. We were both rising managers and we both attended the same seminar. Axiom told us that we could both become Overlords but Van chose to follow me instead. He... he saw someone different."

There was a sudden jerking movement from Cue, a reflexive action of surprise. "What do you mean?" demanded the Kage.

"Van could better explain."

With a swing of his hand, the white aura around Van and Outtake vanished. The panda gasped and rolled onto his side. Cue loomed over him, looking down intently.

"What did Axiom look like to you?"

The panda grimaced... then spat a wad right into Cue's face. The Kage didn't respond.

"I will ask again," demanded the masked man. "What did Axiom appear to you?" He held out his hand. "Sudo."

That white aura appeared again around Van and he let out a choking gasp.

"He was this big bull! Really ripped and fucking hot! Both eyes were bright yellow and he had this black ponytail!"

Cue took a step back, dismissing his powerful Function. "Could it be...?" he whispered softly to himself. The Kage took a moment to compose himself and then began taking a few more steps back, turning around to leave.

"Wait!" Raven cried, reaching out with his nub of a hand. "What will happen to us? To Horizon? Aren't you going to do anything to us?"

The _Kage_stopped in midstep... before turning his head towards the two officers. "As I have told you, why would I deprive the ones who were destined to kill you the pleasure of your defeat?"

******

"Ethan!"

Maydoor fell to his knees, blood exploding out of his chest like a crimson fountain. Zoom scrambled to his side, allowing the Fennec to collapse into his arms. Ryker felt a violent sickness rising from his throat as he watched the light fade from Maydoor's eyes. The breaths from the Fennec's throat came out as rattling gurgles, blood spilling from his muzzle. His lips moved but no sound came out that Ryker could hear. A weak paw reached for Zoom but couldn't quite touch him. Strength faded from his limbs and his paw collapsed, smearing Zoom's suit with crimson streaks.

And with that, Ethan Maydoor died.

Martha Halladay screamed, nearly falling to her knees. Surf was instantly there, holding her and keeping her standing.

"Wait!" Ecks shouted, storming forward, his eyes filled with determination. "I can Recall him! I can bring him back to the same state he was several hours ago! I can bring him back!"

That was right! Eck's Function - Recall - could literally send someone back in time and restore them to the state they were in at that given time! Even memories were vulnerable to the effect. Certainly a still-warm body could be restored.

"No!" Zoom bellowed, immediately draping himself over Maydoor's body. "Don't! Just... don't!"

"What?" replied the confused dragon. "I can literally bring him to life if we act fast enough. He may be clinically dead but I can -"

"Stop!" shouted the Mako. "Just stop it!" Zoom looked down at Ethan's strangely peaceful features, gently cradling the Fennec's head. "He's finally safe."

Ryker heard glass shatter. It took him a second to realize it was the simultaneous sound of his mind being blown and his heart breaking. Ethan Maydoor did whatever he could to fight for security. Yet no matter what he did, no matter how powerful he became, he only become more and more insecure, cautious and paranoid. Dangers were constantly approaching him, shadows closing in and threatening him at knife point. There was no way he would ever escape that...

... except for one route.

It reminded him of his talk with Bryce just the previous night.

Would you rather die free or live as a slave?

In this case, Maydoor chose to die free and it broke Ryker's heart.

"I..."_Ecks began but stopped himself. _"I understand."

"Might not have worked anyway," Takoshi grunted. "I think Maydoor was hit with Delete. Even you can't fully heal that." For emphasis, Takoshi drew his thumb across his own neck. The dragon grimaced as he touched the wound he had suffered from his own brush with Delete. The malevolent Function was meant to make it very difficult to recover and there was no guarantee even Ecks' expertise with Recall could have saved Maydoor.

"I'm so sorry, Zoom..." Arthur said gently, stepping forward and resting an armored hand on the shark's shoulder. "We didn't want this to happen."

Zoom let out a soft sob as he clutched his Host tightly. "I know. Honestly, I'm grateful." He turned a sad smile towards them. "It was either we died fighting free or we died as Raven's sacrifices. I think this is what he would've preferred." He turned back towards Maydoor, the Fennec almost looking like he was sleeping were it not for the blood smearing his tawny fur. "His last words to me were... 'I'm free'."

Those two words were heavy enough that Ryker felt the physical blow they inflicted in his heart, forcing him to stagger back and right into Bryce's arms.

"Easy there, Boss," soothed the towering wolf. He lifted his gaze towards Ecks. "Kage, we need to regroup. The death of an officer in the Overworld is going to send shockwaves into people's cognition. _Horizon_is going to suffer for it and Raven is going to be on the hunt now that he knows we're after him. If what you guys uncovered is true, he's only going to grow stronger now that Maydoor is dead." He turned his gaze towards Martha. "On top of that..."

"Yes," Ecks answered with a nod, he looked greener than usual as he strode towards Martha. "Ms. Halladay, I understand that everything you have witnessed is a bit of a shock but we need to get you somewhere safe. Raven - particularly Sanders - is likely to be out for blood. We need to secure you."

"She's not going anywhere with you," growled Surf. "Thank you for revealing the truth about Raven to us but your current track record of keeping officers safe isn't very encouraging."

Struggling to keep his footing, Ryker lifted a paw to his face, removing his mask. "I've got a friend. A neutral party of sorts. You can stay with her for a bit. She has no link to the Overworld except us. No one else knows she's involved except for Zoom. You're probably not safe here either. Will you stay with her?"

Surf looked worriedly at Zoom. "What will you do with...?"

To that, Ryker had no answer.

"That's the problem," Decanter hummed softly. "Maydoor is the only one that can bring himself and Zoom back to the Realworld. His..." The white-haired rhino glanced briefly at Zoom, guarding his words. "...passing means that Zoom is stuck here and he is now an orphaned IP. While he is tied to Horizon, Raven is likely to start circulating his COO's departure very soon. Might start dismantling the entire division entirely. That'll affect Zoom as well. We can't bring either of them to the Realworld... we can't even offer Maydoor a proper burial." He glanced over to Ryker. "And no, because Maydoor died while Zoom was still his IP, he can't bequeath Zoom onto you like Aileen did for me. Zoom is still_technically the property of _Horizon. Aileen was able to transfer me to you because she was still alive but with Maydoor dead, Zoom's host likely has defaulted to Raven or some other officer."

Ryker held up a paw. "Wasn't thinking about it."

"Yes you were," accused the rhino with a brief flash of a smile. Annoyingly, the charmingly handsome pachyderm was right. "The best I can do is this..." He held up his hands and glass began emerging from around Maydoor's body. Zoom was pulled away by Arthur and Cliff as the glass wrapped around Maydoor's still frame like liquid crystal. It completely encased the Fennec, holding him still about a foot off the ground and with his body somewhat preserved. The glass coffin looked almost romantic.

"That won't last," sighed Decanter. "All I did was keep his body from being affected by the environment. He's still bleeding and the bacteria in his body are going to start causing his flesh to rot. I'm no mortician." Zoom whimpered and buried his face into Arthur's chest. "We need to find... long term accommodations for his body."

"Dude, can we save this for the morning or something?" Cliff asked, patting Zoom's shoulder gently. "The dude's Host just died. Give us time to process it, okay?"

Decanter balked before respectfully nodding.

Ryker turned towards Martha. "Let's go to my friend's place. Give Zoom some space."

Surf looked about to protest but when Zoom peeled away from Arthur and knelt beside Maydoor's crystal coffin, the big whale shark nodded. Together, Ryker, his IPs, Martha and Surf all dropped out of the Overworld, plunging them back into the darkness of the gym living quarters. Takoshi volunteered to accompany Ryker to Tess' place while Bryce and Decanter would wait for Ecks and the others to return and make accommodations as necessary. All the exhilaration of the encounter had left Ryker feeling hungry and the idea of scarfing down a meal before bed sounded fantastic. He first got out of his clothes, dropping his red coat back in his room as it was far too outlandish even for Manhattan's night life. Naturally, he also removed his mask, setting it on his desk.

Martha, her features smeared with running makeup, was silent the entire way down to the Manhattan streets.

Ryker watched hr from the corner of his eye as he called up Tess.

"Hey Ryker," came the cheery greeting. "Guess the raid went well?"

"Not... exactly," he mumbled softly. "We managed to recruit Martha Halladay but there were some... complications. Listen, I know you've got a spare bedroom at your place. Would it be okay to put up Martha there?"

"Don't you guys, like, have dozens of spare rooms?"

"None of them are filled with any beds. Bryce has been sleeping with me because we haven't gotten him any furniture yet." Takoshi's ear twitched at that. "Is it okay if she stays with you? I think she needs some space from ground zero."

"Of course," came the instantaneous reply. "Rai, jeez... You've got to tell me about it. I'll order us Chinese. You must be starved. Does she like Lo Mein?"

He glanced over to Martha and asked the question. The lioness gave him a weak smile.

"Lo Mein sounds lovely," she answered.

"She's in," he replied. "She's also got her IP, Surf. He's a big guy and he'll have...?" He trailed off, looking towards the giant whale shark. Surf just shrugged in response. "... whatever she's having."

"Okay. I'll order it now. See you in a bit."

Ecks warned them to stay safe while he did a quick patrol and called the other Kage. Takoshi would accompany Ryker as he escorted a distraught Martha alongside Surf through the streets of New York to Tess' apartment. There was a very real danger of being ambushed by opportunistic _Horizon_Corpsmen but with the damage done to Raven and the corporation, Ryker guessed that would not be an immediate problem. Martha was quiet the entire time they left the gym, practically leaning her entire weight on Surf as they walked on the sidewalk while Ryker navigated.

There was an almost... surreal serene quality to the air; like after the chaos that had come from the battle, hearing the hustle and bustle and occasional shout from a bar or honk of an angry New Yorker was strangely therapeutic. Some would say Manhattan was extremely chaotic, busy and the 'city that never sleeps' but the Overworld was like a war zone. He felt strangely at home where on the streets as opposed to the grim world of the Overworld.

It only took about fifteen minutes walk to get to Tess' apartment. She lived in a large red-brick building that had been there for ages. While the exterior looked quite old, the interior have been recently renovated. He quickly glanced over at Martha, checking to see if she would scoff at the idea of staying somewhere so ramshackle-looking. Not a word was uttered from her lips though her eyes were still wide and in shock, her arms wrapped around herself protectively. Even Surf's meaty arms couldn't stop the constant shaking that wracked her seemingly frail body.

Ryker pressed the button to Tess' apartment and they were immediately buzzed in. She lived on the third floor but both Takoshi and Surf couldn't fit in the lift so he let them take the lift while the Independents took the stairs. A quiet flight ascent later, they met at the door to Tess' apartment. As Surf was stepping out of the elevator, escorting his Host, Ryker was already knocking on Tess' door.

She greeted them with a warm smile and the savory smell of Lo Mein wafted into his nostrils. To his relief, Martha lifted her head slightly at the aroma. Tess led them into their specious two-bedroom apartment. Some people would say that it was impossible to get anything decently sized in New York City but they were there if one looked well enough. Admittedly, Tess sacrificed a lounge or dining area for the second bedroom meaning that as soon as one entered the apartment, it was immediately the kitchen followed by two doors side by side leading into the bedrooms.

Ryker realized he had made a miscalculation in that he wasn't sure where Surf would sleep.

"A two bedroom place in Manhattan," Surf commented, gently escorting Martha over to the kitchen island where several boxes of Lo Mein were stacked. Tess had actually ordered six servings which Ryker greatly appreciated. She was always the kind to plan for contingencies.

"I know," Tess replied, putting on her sassy charm. "Yeah, it's pricey but my parents are really awesome. So is my older brother. They help pay for my education. Not that I'm letting them pay for everything. I work as a waitress to help with my living expenses."

"Incredibly lucky indeed," said the whale shark, allowing Martha to sit down on one of the kitchen stools. "You must be very close with your family."

"Very close," she answered with a bright smile. "I still get a call from them every week. And so long as you guys are here, you're family too." She was already handing out plates and chopsticks. "We Yales take care of our own."

Ryker recalled that saying being said constantly to him growing up. With his dad's passing from an early age and his mother basically being an air-headed borderline 'Karen', he was mostly left to his own devices and to raise himself. Thankfully, the Yales were more than accommodating and treated him like they were one of their own. That was a status that he realized he had taken advantage of for far too long. Mentally, he swore that he would make up for it with Tess and that he would do everything in his power to protect her from the terrors of the Overworld.

Quite a contrary statement to make given he was bringing an Overlord's sacrifice into her home...

"Thank you for your hospitality," Martha croaked, her first words since they had returned.

Taking that as an improvement, Ryker opened one of the cartons and served himself some of the Lo Mein. His stomach rumbled at him, urging him to hurry up and devour as much as he could because he was starving. Fighting that instinctive urge took all of his might as he didn't want to be rude and eat before any of the others. That was when he noticed Tess hadn't served herself.

"You're not eating?" he asked.

"It's nearly midnight," she stated pointedly "I ate hours ago. Don't tell me you haven't eaten."

"We ate before the mission," Takoshi supplied. "But it was light. Don't want to get stomach cramps in the middle of a fight. Plus adrenaline has a habit of tearing through your energy reserves." As he said this, he expertly grabbed some of the deep caramel-colored noodles in his chopsticks and slurped it into his muzzle loudly, chewing just as audibly. Tess gave him a sour look. "What?" he demanded, mouth full. "I'm starving."

"Doesn't mean you should be rude," she replied. "There's a lady present."

There was this spark in Takoshi's ice-blue eyes that Ryker was starting to realize was his tell for when he had a snappy comeback. "So you're not a lady?"

Naturally, Tess rose to the occasion and puffed out her chest. "Bitch, I can throw you on your ass any day of the week. If I can do that, then I'd happily call myself a man because you ain't one."

"Oh _hell_no," Takoshi growled.

A light, musical laugh cut through the hostilities and they turned towards Martha. She gave them this warm, motherly smile that was both appreciative and sorrowful at the same time.

"I'm sorry," she said, lifting a paw apologetically. "It's just funny how less than an hour ago you were all staring death in the face and now you're exchanging these heating arguments like... like..."

"Kids?" Ryker supplied. "Yeah. It happens. We've got to keep moving forward in this world. If we get stuck on something for too long, we'll end up holding ourselves back."

Martha nodded and reached for the chopsticks in front of her. "Wise words." Using one paw to hold back her hair and the other to slurp up the noodles, she nodded in appreciation. "This is really good. Where did you get it from?"

"A local place," answered Tess with a smile. "It's a 24-hour Chinese Restaurant called Noodles-On-The-Go. They're really good in a pinch. Nice and affordable too."

The lioness laughed softly but there was a bitterness in her voice. "Affordable... It's bizarre. I've been the CPO of The Horizon Channel for so long that I've never had to worry about things being 'affordable' for a long time. I've had to worry about budget and production values but simple things like food, housing or even clothing I've never given a second thought." Her smile faded. "Now I realize it's because I was merely a prized fowl being fed and fattened to be slaughtered."

When Tess gave Ryker a puzzled look, he filled her in on what they had discovered and what happened at the meeting; how Martha was revealed to just be a sacrifice for Raven's ascension to an Overlord, Zoom's crushing realization and then Maydoor's death.

"Oh my god..." breathed the mouse, reaching over the gently grasp Martha's paw. "I'm so sorry. That's just... that's just cruel! You were basically being kept around as the 'token female'!"

A sad smile touched Martha's muzzle and she was silent for a few moments. "You know," she began, "I had always thought the same and I strove to prove that I wasn't just there for the sake for diversity and inclusion; for good press. I had always hoped that I was there because of my skills. This... this was worse." She shook her head and gave Tess a brave smile. "But I'm sorry. We haven't even been properly introduced and here I am eating your food in your home." She held out her hand. "My name is Martha Halladay. This is Surf."

"Teresa Yale," she answered before Ryker could tell her to keep her identity a secret.

Seeing as they were already all in, Ryker lifted his paw and said, "Ryker Wall. That's Takoshi Kumareigi."

"A pleasure," Martha replied. "And thank you. Both of you. I was so foolish for turning to Raven..." She sighed heavily. "My focus was on Simon. I knew he was up to something so I thought that I was being clever by going straight to the top and talking to Raven. But..."

Surf gently gripped her shoulder. "You couldn't have known."

"Perhaps not but I still bear the responsibility of what happened." Martha clutched her paws together, her claws out and digging into the back of her paws. "There is no use wallowing in the past. What is done is done. I need to move forward so that I can make things right."

A fierce fire entered her eyes and she immediately turned towards Ryker. "Ryker. Someone in your group has multiple IPs, right?"

He was stunned at her strength. Despite what she had just seen, here was Martha Halladay suddenly stepping up and thinking about the future - planning and making moves. It had taken him a few days to come to terms with what had happened when he first became exposed to the Overworld and even more when he had blown off Kanoth's leg with Break the first time. The strength of a corporate officer was truly astounding... and scary.

"Uhm... Yeah. That'd be me," he answered bashfully. "I've got Takoshi, Decanter - the rhino - and Bryce under me." He mentally kicked himself for the sexual innuendo that came out of that but hoped neither Martha nor Surf noticed. If Tess caught it, she would give him flak for it later but thankfully, she remained silent.

Instead, she asked, "Sorry, I'm new to the whole Overworld thing. Why is it so weird to have multiple IPs?"

Martha, her voice and posture growing stronger, explained that while in reality the average mind was able to hold onto multiple concepts at any one time, when it came to the Overworld, manifesting multiple IPs was next to unheard of and impossible at least amongst the corporate world. An IP was a physical manifestation of an idea and bringing someone or something from the metaphysical world into the physical took a lot of energy not to mention required a lot of maintenance.

"An IP is basically an in-depth concept given physical form," she explained. "They're good friends, lovers and living, breathing people." Surf's hand rested on her shoulder comfortingly and she placed her paw on top of it, clutching his broad fingers tightly. "Maintaining that relationship is equivalent to getting married. In concept it is possible to have multiple people in the relationship but has it ever really been put into practice and proven to work?"

Ryker felt the judgmental stare from Tess before he even saw it. "We've gone over this," he quickly said in her direction. "Yeah, it's risky but that's what the situation is."

"I'm not saying anything," Tess answered, shaking her head a little.

Casting a momentary look at Tess and giving her an apologetic smile, Martha turned back to Ryker and said, "Will you be willing to tell me how you were able to form a Pact with multiple IPs? With Ethan... passed away, Zoom will need someone to take care of him. To be a Host to him. I'd like to be that host."

Takoshi suddenly stepped forward, holding out the paw that held his chopsticks. "Hold on there, little miss. I like you. You remind me of a caring grandma."

"Grandma...?" Martha whispered softly, looking a little insulted.

"But," continued the mountainous bear, "I don't trust you completely just yet. Yeah, we saved you from Raven but you're still a corporate slut. I don't think it's good to be handing out our secrets to you until you've proven your loyalty to us."

Surf stormed forward, standing nose-to-nose with Takoshi. "She just had her life_threatened by her CEO! She willingly came with you and saved you all with her Function from being _obliterated by Raven! How is that not loyalty!?"

With a cool, steely gaze, Takoshi countered with, "So? What's to stop her from just using our secrets against us after this is all over? Besides, when she used her Function, it affected all of us. Me, Ryker, everyone. She stopped everyone from fighting. If she was really loyal, she would've kept Horizon from attacking but let us beat the crap out of them."

Martha gently raised a paw, resting it on Surf's arm and pulled him back with the slightest touch. "He's right, Surf. We haven't really done anything to earn their trust even if they have risked their lives to save ours. My hesitation and distrust is what cost Ethan his..." She trailed off, closing her eyes briefly and taking a few moments to recompose herself. "Any relationship requires mutual trust and we need to earn that." She nodded towards Takoshi as Surf backed off. "Thank you for doing everything you can to protect us. We will do what we can to repay your kindness."

Takoshi huffed and returned to eating his lo mein loudly.

"I had hoped that we could save Zoom by having him forge a Pact with me and become another of my IPs," Martha confessed. "What Decanter mentioned is true. It is part of our Contract. In the event of our passing or something else, our IPs have their ownership transferred to Horizon itself. I knew we would likely be _forced_to relinquish our IPs to another officer in the event we were ever fired for... _something_but I never thought it'd actually be used."

"I'll be honest with you," Ryker said with a sheepish grin, "I honestly don't know how I_can have multiple IPs. We theorized it could be because you guys in corporations have always been using Copy and Paste to assign IPs to your Corpsmen but we _really can't be sure. It might have something to do with my Function as well but I really don't know."

Surf grunted and leaned against Tess' counter top. "And it'd basically be a high-risk, high-reward scenario. If we get Martha to try and forge a Pact with Zoom, we could save him but if it's not as simple as that, her life could be in jeopardy."

Martha rested a paw on Surf's arm. "It's okay. We'll find another way. Maybe I can recruit some of my most trusted executives to be his new Host."

"Assuming he wants one," Takoshi mumbled. "Seriously, you two. It's just been an hour since Ethan kicked the bucket. Give him some time to grieve."

Tess held up a paw. "Hold on. Someone died?" Ryker provided the background of what exactly happened and Tess was silent through the entire retelling until the very end. "Yeah, I agree with Yojimbo. Give Zoom some time to grieve. I mean, I _totally_want to punch the teeth out of his smug face for kidnapping me -"

"You were kidnapped!?" exclaimed Martha in shock.

Ryker mentally slapped his forehead as he realized that Martha - having been kept completely oblivious to the rest of Horizon's actions - had no idea what had happened to Tess. So he quickly detailed to the lioness how they had tried to spy on Horizon, got caught and escaped only to be tracked down by Zoom and Maydoor with the latter two having kidnapped Tess as leverage.

"Oh Ethan," sighed Martha, shaking her head miserably. She regarded Tess with a genuinely apologetic expression. "I am so sorry for what has happened. Please understand that Ethan has always been a little... paranoid. Skittish I guess you could say. He was trying to get the most leverage as possible. That's no excuse for kidnapping you but I am sure he would never have wanted to actually deal you any physical harm."

Tess lifted a paw. "Not going to say I forgive him but I am not going to bash on the dead either. I'm sure he had his reasons and the fact that he went out of his way to help Ryker and his friends is a lot in my book. More than any scary car ride and clandestine meeting in a dark, abandoned warehouse in the middle of the night could ever mean."

"Thank you," Martha responded with a pleasant smile. "And thank you for hosting us. We'll get out of your hair."

"No, girl!" Tess said, waving her back down before she could stand. "You've had a rough night and from what you've all told me, these assholes at Horizon might be after you. You're free to stay the night. More if you need it. Stay low. Keep your head down. Let's let the heat die off a little before we do anything." She glanced at Ryker. "That goes for you too." Then her eyes went to Takoshi. "All of you."

Takoshi gave her a smirk. "Whatever you say, Onee-san."

"Careful, Yojimbo. We're not at the restaurant anymore. Legally, I can kick your ass."

"You're welcome to try."

Martha's soft chuckle eased all tensions again and she picked up her chopsticks, going to eat for the first time. Hunger catching up with him, Ryker ravaged the food before him, restoring his depleted energy reserves. They were silent for the most part until Surf - who had also been eating - finally broke the silence.

"Your Function," he began. "You were able to use it on Raven even though Martha's Function was active. Why? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

A quick glance at Takoshi and the gentle nod afterward indicated that the bear was fine with sharing that particular piece of information.

"Honestly, my Function is kind of... hard to define," he confessed. "It's called Break_and it can... I guess... _Break anything. Coding-wise, the 'break' command is traditionally used in case-statements to 'break out' of the statement or break out of other functions. I initially thought it could stop other people's Functions. I used that once when a Corpsman used Pause on me and Takoshi. But..."

"He ended up blowing off an AllAle executive's leg using it," Takoshi finished.

Martha gasped and nearly choked on some of her noodles. "That was you? You were the one that tore off Kanoth Lameer's leg? We were told it was some sort of car accident?"

"Yeah, that was me," Ryker answered bashfully. "Kind of accidentally. I kind of just wanted to use Break to stop his Function which was wreaking havoc on us but yeah..." Then his gaze hardened. "But what I did to Raven... That was intentional."

"Dangerous," rumbled Surf. "Perhaps even worse than Delete. The ability to destroy not only a currently running Function but also a break through any Function and destroy a target."

"Wish I could learn to control it," mumbled Ryker. "I honestly don't know it's limitations and I'm a little afraid to try. I mean, what could I destroy accidentally, you know?"

Martha gently rested a paw on his shoulder, squeezing lightly. "That's understandable. But you'll never know until you try. Ethan was always one to constantly measure risk versus reward and he got a little paranoid about it." She nodded towards him encouragingly. "I think you should at least try. If you don't try, you'll never know and I think the worst thing anyone can ever do is limit themselves by saying that they don't know and refuse to learn."

"But what if I hurt someone... again?"

"Then you hurt someone," concluded Martha. "The key is to learn from your mistakes or to learn the wrong lessons."

The advice sunk in, chipping away at the walls of doubt that Ryker had surrounded himself. It didn't break down that wall but at least for the moment, some light was shining through the cracks.

"So you're saying it's okay to make mistakes...?" he asked.

"No one grows up just good at their job," Martha advised, a motherly smile on her muzzle. "Those that tell you they were born_talented are lying to you. They had to work to get where they are and, yes, some people will be born with natural abilities but those will only go so far. They make for a decent foundation and yes, a great advantage over the average person, but you can _never succeed on pure talent alone."

She let out a soft chuckle and rested her chopsticks down for a moment. "It actually reminds me of this story I once heard..."

"Oh, here we go," Surf groaned. He gave Takoshi a tired look. "She tells this story to every new staff member at their annual appraisals."

"Like I care," rumbled Takoshi though it was clear from how his round ears were perked that he was clearly interested.

"A group of hikers were traveling," Martha began. "They encountered an enormous mountain. There were five of them. The first one was an experienced mountaineer and loudly boasted that he has been here before and to follow him as he knows how to traverse the mountain. Let's call him 'Experienced Hiker'. The second person, however, was a less experienced person but extremely talented when it came to mountaineering. He boasted that he is just as skilled as the experienced mountaineer and because he's been at this for less time and has the same level of skill, he should be followed. We'll call him 'Talented Hiker'. There is the new person that has never been hiking before and this is his first experience hiking. We will call him the 'New Hiker'. The fourth person is an easily discouraged person who saw the extent of the mountain and just outright gave up. He shall be the 'Non-Starter Hiker'. The last member of the group is someone ready to take the challenge despite his moderate experience. We will call him the 'Challenger Hiker'. Four of them took their different routes with the exception of the Challenger Hiker who followed the Experienced Hiker."

Martha cleared her throat, holding out a finger.

"So the Experienced Hiker who knew what he was doing easily crossed the mountain in the least amount of time. No issues. No injuries. The Talented Hiker got there second. While he had great talent, he wasn't really prepared for anything that came his way and still came second. The Challenger Hiker got there third. Because he was willing to meet the challenge head on even with little experience, he was willing to _learn_and still got there at the end of the day. The New Hiker got there fourth while the Non-Starter never got there at all."

Takoshi rolled his eyes. "Big surprise there. Is there a point to this?"

"There is," Martha replied with a smile. "Because in subsequent mountains, the order changed. The experienced hiker would consistently come first but his lead would eventually diminish as others learned from him and built up their experience. The Talented Hiker who refused to learn and relied solely on his talent fell behind as time went on. The New Hiker would eventually become as experienced but the only reason he didn't progress faster is because of his arrogance in unwilling to follow others. He was learning by himself and making mistakes that no one was around to correct. Lastly, the Challenger Hiker eventually came in second or first, occasionally swapping with the Experienced Hiker as they continued to challenge and learn from one another. The Non-Starter just gave up."

She raised her head. "The lesson here is that learning is more valuable than solving the issue immediately. It's a long-term investment. Don't expect to win immediately. Expect to make mistakes and never compare yourself to others.Learn from them but never ever think that their success somehow is to your detriment. You can _never_replace time and rushing yourself to get to their level will only throw you in the same issue as the Talented Hiker or the New Hiker; falling further and further behind or never learning and making mistakes that could endanger yourself or others."

Surf rolled his eyes. "She usually does this with a graph and white board so she can show exactly how each of the hikers progress. She would draw these curves and make the metaphor that the 'real hill' is the progress the hikers make."

Takoshi just huffed and mumbled something about 'corporate management bullshit' before turning to his food.

For Ryker, however, he found himself comparing the progress with his own projects. Perhaps for too long he had been reliant on his raw talent. He was just like the Talented Hiker. Others were progressing faster than him and he was being discouraged and falling behind. Now, he had fallen down to the Non-Starter and wasn't even trying.

"Thanks, Martha," he said, "That really helps." He glanced at the clock. "We should get going. Check on how the others are doing. We'll call you tomorrow."

"Please let us know how Zoom is doing," Surf asked worriedly.

"If we remember," grunted Takoshi.

Ryker finished his food, thanks Tess and then started heading out. He wished Martha and Surf a good evening and left. But not before asking Tess to keep an eye on the two. Not that he didn't quite trust them but he was unsure if _Horizon_would try to attack so soon. He doubted it but he told her to give him a call if something happened.

Escorted by Takoshi, he headed back into the streets of New York, a renewed sense of purpose in his mind.

******

When Ryker woke, he found himself standing once more in the fields of the Broken Server of Dreams surrounded by those eerie blue flowers. With a groan, he knew he probably wasn't going to get any rest this evening either. Though he was _technically_asleep, he was still going to be mentally exhausted when he woke up. With a sigh, he turned to look at where Cue was standing.

Trying to muster the most respectful tone he could given the situation, he said, "Cue, what's up?"

The _Kage_was silent for a moment and he could feel the gravity of the situation starting to weigh down on him.

"I have something important to tell you," announced the mysterious Kage. "Something you must not repeat to anyone else. Not even the other Kage. At least until I deem it to be safe."

A little exhausted with all the subterfuge, Ryker rubbed his hair and sighed. "Uhm... Okay. What is it?"

"It's about Axiom."

Now Cue had his attention. Axiom was the supposed person that was making Overlords. Cue had mentioned him before but there was no further information from him.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

"I spoke with Raven this evening," said the_Kage_. "Right after you used Break on him and left. Understandably, he was injured and in no position to fight so I had the advantage even with Van Basker there. He gave me some... disturbing news."

His throat dry, Ryker only nodded, urging Cue to continue.

"First," Cue said, "I have certainly confirmed that Axiom was responsible for imparting the knowledge of the Overworld and Overlords to Raven. Like Emile, he met Raven at a conference on how to advance up the corporate ladder. I also believe that he may have used the Overworld to implant the idea of the Overlord into Raven through there. I cannot be sure but I honestly believe that they were manipulated."

Ryker crossed his arms with a frown. "Overlords are made by implanting the idea of the company into other executives, introducing them to the Overworld and then killing them when the company is powerful enough. Do you think that Axiom is doing the same but on a grander scale? Like he wants to become the Overlord of Overlords?"

"It's possible," Cue responded. "I have entertained that thought but I don't have enough evidence to confirm nor deny it. It is chilling if true." He lifted a second finger. "The second and more important revelation, however, is the fact that Axiom appeared differently to both Van and Raven."

Ryker slowly unfolded his arms. "Huh?"

"Raven was traveling with Van. Both of them were at the seminar. Both were offered the chance to be an Overlord but Van chose to follow Raven instead of be one himself."

What could possible convince the panda to willingly sacrifice himself for Raven? Dying to be just a stepping stone for someone else's success? Ryker just could not find any reason to justify that. Though as his mind went away from that thought, he replayed what Cue just said.

"Hang on... what do you mean 'he appeared differently' to them?"

"As I said," Cue responded. "Axiom took a different shape for both Raven and Van. Different builds. Different species."

Ryker's heart leapt to his throat. "Wait... how is that possible?"

"That is what I have yet to confirm but there are some very chilling possibilities." Cue held up a finger. "The first is that Raven and Van were lying to me. I do not think that this is possible. They were at a severe disadvantage and I did not detect any deception on their part." Cue tilted his head. "In retrospect, I should have used my Function on them but that's neither here nor there." Turning back to look at Ryker, he said, "The second possibility is that Axiom's function somehow allows him to disguise himself in the Realworld. We've seen that sufficiently powerful executives can use Functions in the Realworld so it is possible."

Ryker still remembered learning about how Kanoth used his Functions on his own daughters to get them out of his hair. It made his skin crawl. Just thinking about the power that Simon or Martha's Functions possessed and what kind of havoc they could play in the Realworld was terrifying. It would really be a battle between superheroes and supervillains in that case.

"And the third possibility?" he pressed.

"That Axiom is already an Overlord. A very powerful one."

There, his brow furrowed. "Uhm... what...?"

"Overlords are basically gods. Think about the gods in ancient times who walked the Earth doing as they pleased. The Gods of Olympus. Deities of Japan. Norse. The Old and New Testaments. Even Lovecraftian entities could be counted. All the various other religions that have their gods. Those entities did exist."

He had heard that many times before. "I've got to ask... if they did exist before... what happened to them? Where are they now?"

"It comes from the globalization of the world," answered Cue. "As the world grew smaller, the different people, religion and communities interpreted the deities differently. Remember, the Overworld is a psychic domain that is dependent on mortal perception. All Gods and even Overlords draw their power from how the public perceives them. But when that perception is shattered or fragmented because different people believe in different things, the god splinters as well and their power fragments. The gods of old weren't mortals who become gods through the Overworld, they were IPs that became so powerful that they have influence on the Realworld. Their core, however, was still within the Overworld."

"So what happens in the Overworld, happens to them," Ryker concluded. "That's why the Overlords are different, right? Because Overlords are based here in the Realworld, they are more rooted here where the Overworld gets its power."

Cue tapped the side of his pixelated head. "Correct. In that regard, I have a very real fear that Axiom might actually be a pre-existing Overlord that might have some overarching agenda. Again, I can neither confirm nor deny this as I continue investigate and find some solid evidence on the matter. But this has brought me to conclusion."

The _Kage_lowered his head, regarding Ryker gravely. "Axiom is the root of these problems and these other Overlords either feed to his plan or are a distraction. I do not know. But we must be careful. We need to keep eliminating the Overlords where we can to disrupt his plans as much as possible."

Ryker winced a little. "About that..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "So far, the only way I know to weaken the Overlords is to get to their executives. But to get to those executives, we either use the Exception Virus on them or kill them. Both just serve to empower the Overlords. I mean... is there really any other way we can do that?"

Cue chuckled softly. "Just do what you are doing. Making allies of the executives."

"My track record doesn't seem to be working in my favor there..." he mumbled. He thought back to Martha's little lecture. "Though I guess it's better than with AllAle." With a heavy sigh, he regarded Cue with a nod. "Thanks for letting me know. I promise I won't tell anyone else." He frowned. "Though why tell me?"

There, the Kage once again chuckled. "Suffice to say that I have a vested interest in your development being the first Host to have multiple IPs in a long time."

"Thanks... I guess," he tilted his head slightly. "Hey... I don't suppose you can somehow manipulate the Overworld to send messages to me, have you?"

"Messages?" repeated Cue. "What do you mean?"

Ryker shook his head. "Nothing. I guess my own inspiration just takes different shapes." He waved a paw over his head. "Sometimes I see these letters flying around when looking at random things and it's often gives me my most brilliant ideas. I thought that was someone else's doing."

Cue shook his head. "No. I have no such power." He turned to leave. "I best leave now. Much to do. Get some rest. I expect the next few days will be _very_hectic."

As Cue left, Ryker quietly frowned to himself.

If _Cue_wasn't sending him those weird messages... then who was?

... better question...

Why did he just lie to the Kage?