Chapter Five: Regrets and Retribution
Train to the Capital
The rhythmic clatter of steel wheels against the tracks filled the passenger car.
Levi sat beside the window, staring into the passing countryside.
Neither he nor Lily had spoken much since leaving Leone.
Silvia was alive.
That should have brought him some kind of relief.
Instead, every mile toward the capital seemed to add another stone to the weight already sitting in his chest.
For six years, he had protected Leone.
For six years, he had convinced himself that Stone's death had left him with no other choice.
Meanwhile, his little sister had been sleeping on streets, running from traffickers, and waiting for a brother who never came.
Levi's reflection stared back at him through the glass.
He barely recognized the man looking back.
The silence stretched until Lily finally spoke.
"I know this is personal for you."
Levi didn't turn.
"But remember—we're a team."
His eyes shifted toward her.
Lily sat across from him, arms folded.
"I'm with you every step of the way."
For a moment, Levi said nothing.
Then some of the tension left his shoulders.
"Thanks, Lily."
He looked back through the window.
"I mean that."
"I know."
"I couldn't ask for a better partner."
Lily smiled faintly.
Levi's expression hardened again.
"I'm keeping Silvia safe this time."
"Then we'll keep her safe."
"And the people responsible..."
His jaw tightened.
Lily finished the thought for him.
"We make the bastards pay."
Levi finally looked at her.
"No one should ever go through what she did," Lily continued.
"No."
Levi stared into the darkness outside.
"They shouldn't."
The two spent the remainder of the journey reviewing what little information Silvia had been able to provide.
A shelter.
An old warehouse.
Weekend auctions.
Local officers who either looked the other way or actively participated.
Their plan was straightforward.
Gather information.
Locate the operation.
Observe.
Infiltrate discreetly.
Free the victims.
Then arrest everyone involved.
Levi leaned back.
Simple plans had an irritating habit of becoming complicated.
Capital – First Lawmen Division
The capital was nothing like Leone.
Electric streetlamps lined crowded avenues. Automobiles moved alongside horse-drawn carriages while motorcycles slipped through gaps between them. Telephone wires crossed above streets packed with government offices, banks, hotels, shops, and towering administrative buildings.
And above it all stood the presence of Five Points.
Lawmen seemed to be everywhere.
That was exactly what bothered Levi.
If Silvia was right, human beings were being bought and sold beneath the organization's nose.
Either Five Points had somehow failed to notice...
Or someone had made sure it didn't.
Levi and Lily entered the First Lawmen Division shortly after arriving.
The station was considerably larger than Leone's. Officers moved briskly between departments while telephones rang almost constantly in the background.
Lily approached the front desk.
"Excuse me."
The officer looked up.
Lily straightened instinctively.
"Lieutenant Lily. Formerly of the Capital First Lawmen Division. This is Captain Levi, commanding officer of the Leone division."
Levi gave a short nod.
"We need to speak with whoever's in command."
The officer stood.
A man approaching from farther inside the station answered instead.
"That would normally be our commander."
He stopped before them and saluted.
"Sergeant Reed."
Levi returned the gesture.
"Unfortunately, you're a few hours too late. Most of our senior officers are attending a summit."
"What summit?" Levi asked.
"Recent surge in high-value targets. Bounty revisions, jurisdiction disputes, resource allocation. The usual headaches."
Reed lowered his hand.
"Until they return, I'm the ranking officer available. What can I do for you?"
Lily glanced toward Levi before answering.
"We have reason to believe a slave-trading operation is active somewhere near the capital."
Reed's expression barely changed.
"A slave ring?"
"Yes."
"What's your source?"
Levi answered.
"Victim testimony."
Reed looked between them.
"I can assure you, Captain, nothing of that sort operates under our watch."
Lily gave Levi a tiny sideways glance.
He noticed.
Of course he noticed.
"Still," Reed continued, "if you have credible information, we'll cooperate fully."
"Good," Levi said. "Then let's not waste time."
To Levi's surprise, Reed kept his word.
Files were provided.
Reports were opened.
Known criminal organizations were identified.
Missing-person cases were made available for review.
Officers answered nearly every question Lily asked.
It was professional.
Efficient.
Helpful.
Too helpful.
Several hours later, Levi and Lily left the station carrying copies of the relevant reports.
Lily looked satisfied.
Levi didn't.
Behind them, Sergeant Reed watched through the station window.
His pleasant expression disappeared.
He turned toward a nearby officer.
"Tail them."
The officer nodded.
"Yes, Sergeant."
Modest Inn – Night
Reports covered the small table between Levi and Lily.
Levi sat with one boot resting against the chair opposite him while Lily organized the files into neat piles.
"We start with the shelter Silvia mentioned," Levi said.
Lily nodded.
"Observe first."
"Obviously."
Her eyes rose from the report.
"I mean it."
"So do I."
"No charging through windows."
Levi stared at her.
"Why would I charge through a window?"
"I've known you long enough to consider it a possibility."
Levi frowned.
"We observe from a distance. If something seems wrong, we follow whoever comes and goes."
"Good."
Lily returned to the reports.
"And if the worst happens, Sergeant Reed can provide backup."
Levi's expression changed.
"No."
Lily looked up.
"No?"
"I don't trust him."
"Based on?"
"Something about him."
She stared.
"Very compelling evidence, Captain."
"I'm serious."
"So am I. He gave us everything we requested."
"Exactly."
Lily blinked.
Levi leaned forward.
"We walked into his station with a rumor about an organized slave trade and he practically opened every filing cabinet in the building."
"That's called professionalism."
"That's called suspicious."
"You're being paranoid."
Levi raised an eyebrow.
"You were the one who told me something was wrong if this could happen so close to headquarters."
"I said we shouldn't dismiss the possibility of corruption. That doesn't mean every competent officer is secretly involved."
Levi crossed his arms.
"Competent?"
"Compared to you?"
She glanced toward the chaotic pile of reports on his side of the table.
"Night and day."
Levi followed her gaze.
"I didn't bring you on this mission to insult my filing system."
"You don't have a filing system."
"I know where everything is."
"That's what disorganized people say."
"Someone has to hold you to a standard."
Levi opened his mouth.
Creeeak.
Both stopped.
Something had shifted outside their door.
Their eyes met.
Lily moved first.
Her hand snapped toward the sound.
Frost erupted through the air.
An ice shard punched through the wooden door.
"AH!"
Levi was already moving.
He ripped the door open.
A figure disappeared around the end of the hallway, one hand clutching a bleeding arm.
"Stop!"
They sprinted after him.
By the time they reached the street, the man had vanished into the nighttime crowd.
Levi slowly turned toward Lily.
She stared into the street.
He folded his arms.
"Paranoid, huh?"
Lily sighed.
"Don't."
Levi smiled.
"I didn't say anything."
"Your face did."
The Following Days
They stopped contacting Reed.
For several days, Levi and Lily watched the shelter Silvia had described.
At first, nothing appeared unusual.
Meals were distributed.
Beds were offered.
Women came and went.
Then Lily noticed something.
Some never came back out.
They began following the shelter's employees.
One eventually led them to a transport wagon.
The wagon led them beyond the busiest districts of the capital.
And eventually...
To an old warehouse.
They waited until the next weekend.
Just as Silvia had said.
Carriages began arriving after dark.
Men dressed in expensive coats stepped from them.
Others arrived wearing masks.
Some came alone.
Others brought armed guards.
Levi watched from a rooftop across the street.
His expression grew colder with every arrival.
Lily crouched beside him.
"I think we found it."
Levi stood.
"Let's make sure."
Warehouse – Rooftop
They crossed to the warehouse from an adjoining building.
Levi lowered himself beside a large skylight.
Lily joined him.
Together, they looked inside.
Neither spoke.
They didn't need to.
Below them stood dozens of people.
Men.
Women.
Some looked barely old enough to be considered adults.
Black markings circled their necks like collars.
Their movements were stiff.
Mechanical.
Wrong.
At the center of the warehouse stood a man in a pristine suit.
A cane tapped rhythmically against the stage beneath him.
"Sold!"
Applause erupted.
Levi's fingers curled against the edge of the skylight.
Another prisoner was dragged forward.
"Next up!"
The auctioneer smiled broadly.
"A spirited young lady. Feisty. Beautiful."
A young woman fought desperately against the men holding her.
"Perfect for domestic work..."
The auctioneer's smile widened.
"Or perhaps something more personal."
Laughter came from the crowd.
Levi's face went still.
"Bidding starts at five thousand gold!"
The girl kicked one of her captors.
"Get your fucking hands off me!"
The auctioneer sighed.
"Temperamental."
He snapped his fingers.
A black marking appeared around the girl's neck.
Her eyes widened.
The collar tightened.
She clawed desperately at her throat.
Her struggling weakened.
Then stopped.
She stood perfectly still.
Levi rose.
"I've seen enough."
"Levi—"
Glass shattered.
Levi dropped through the skylight.
Lily closed her eyes for a moment.
"So much for observing."
Then she jumped after him.
Levi struck the floor hard enough to crack the boards beneath his boots.
Every head turned.
He slowly stood amid falling shards of glass.
"This a private party?"
Electricity crawled faintly across his fingers.
"Or can anyone join?"
Lily landed beside him.
Her expression was considerably less amused.
"By authority of Five Points, everyone involved in the trafficking, sale, purchase, or unlawful detention of these people is under arrest."
The warehouse went silent.
Lily's eyes moved across the crowd.
"Release the prisoners and surrender peacefully."
Someone drew a revolver.
"Like hell we are!"
Levi sighed.
"Why does nobody ever pick the easy option?"
The first shot rang out.
Chaos erupted.
Levi disappeared.
A flash of electricity crossed the warehouse.
He reappeared beside the gunman.
One strike.
The revolver flew from the man's hand.
A second sent him crashing unconscious across a table.
Ice spread across the floor behind Levi.
Three armed guards lost their footing simultaneously.
Lily swept her hand upward.
Ice erupted around their weapons, freezing the mechanisms solid.
More attackers charged.
Lightning and frost filled the warehouse.
Levi moved like a living current, disabling opponents before many could even react.
Lily controlled the battlefield around him, raising barriers, freezing weapons, and trapping legs against the floor.
But the prisoners were different.
The collars forced them forward.
"Don't hurt them!" Lily shouted.
"I noticed!"
A collared man swung a pipe toward Levi's head.
Levi ducked.
He caught the man's wrist but stopped himself from striking back.
The prisoner's face twisted in terror.
"I'm sorry."
Levi froze.
The man swung again.
"I'm sorry!"
Levi redirected the blow and swept his legs out from under him.
"Not your fault."
Across the warehouse, Lily encased another prisoner's arms in ice without injuring them.
"Find whoever's controlling these things!"
Levi's eyes moved toward the stage.
The man in the suit was running.
"There."
He vanished in a burst of electricity.
The auctioneer reached the exit.
A hand caught him by the throat.
Levi slammed him against the wall.
The man's feet left the ground.
An electrified trench knife appeared beneath his jaw.
"I wouldn't."
The man stopped struggling.
Then smiled.
Levi didn't like that.
The auctioneer slowly raised one bare hand.
"One touch."
Levi's eyes narrowed.
"And I can collar anyone."
His gaze shifted past Levi.
"Miss Frosty isn't quite as fast as you."
Levi turned.
Too late.
Black markings crawled across Lily's neck.
Then her arms.
She gasped.
Her knees hit the floor.
"Lily!"
The markings tightened.
Her fingers clawed against her throat.
The auctioneer chuckled.
"She's strong."
Lily tried to raise one hand.
Frost formed weakly across her fingertips.
Then shattered.
"But everyone breaks eventually."
Levi's electricity surged.
"You bastard."
"Careful."
The man smiled.
"One wrong move and her head comes off."
Levi's knife remained against his throat.
"So, Captain..."
The auctioneer's eyes gleamed.
"What's it going to be?"
He leaned closer.
"Let me go, and she lives."
Lily struggled for breath.
"Bring me in..."
The man's smile widened.
"And she dies."
Levi stared at him.
Then at Lily.
His breathing slowed.
The auctioneer mistook it for surrender.
Levi released him.
The man's feet hit the floor.
"There we—"
Lightning screamed into Levi's hand.
A spear formed instantly.
The auctioneer's smile disappeared.
Levi threw it.
The spear punched through his chest.
The impact hurled him through the warehouse doors.
Wood exploded outward.
The markings around Lily flickered.
Then vanished.
She collapsed forward, gasping.
Levi was beside her immediately.
"Easy."
Lily coughed violently.
"How..."
She pulled air into her lungs.
"How did you know?"
"He told me."
"What?"
"He said letting him go would save you."
Levi looked toward the destroyed doorway.
"If killing him would automatically kill you, he would've said that."
Lily's breathing steadied.
"So..."
"His ability needed him alive or close enough to maintain the collar."
Levi stood.
"And I wanted him farther away."
Lily stared at him.
"That was your plan?"
"It worked."
"That's not what I asked."
Levi walked toward the exit.
"Come on."
Lily muttered something under her breath and followed.
Outside, the auctioneer was still alive.
Barely.
He lay bleeding in the street.
But he wasn't alone.
Lawmen surrounded him.
Dozens.
Lily exhaled.
"Finally."
She stepped forward.
"Give it up. You're surrounded."
Levi didn't move.
Something was wrong.
No one rushed toward the injured trafficker.
No one attempted to secure him.
Their weapons weren't pointed at him.
They were pointed at Levi and Lily.
Levi's expression hardened.
"No."
Lily stopped.
"What?"
"We never told them where we were."
Her eyes moved across the assembled officers.
Levi's hand drifted toward his trench knife.
"These aren't reinforcements."
Slow applause echoed through the street.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
A familiar man stepped forward.
"Bravo, Captain."
Levi's eyes narrowed.
"Took you long enough."
"Sergeant Reed."
Reed smiled.
"My, my. You have my praise. And here I thought I'd get to keep the charade going a little longer."
"I suspected you from the start."
Reed laughed.
"Of course you did."
"It was too easy," Levi continued. "Too convenient. We walk in with what you thought was a rumor and suddenly every door in your station opens for us?"
Reed's smile faded.
"I couldn't exactly have some street punk wandering into my division and discrediting us, could I?"
His eyes moved toward Lily.
"And then there's you."
Lily said nothing.
"I remember your type."
Reed's lip curled.
"Squared away. Perfect uniform. Perfect record. Looking down on everyone who doesn't meet the capital's precious standards."
"I don't remember you," Lily replied.
Reed's eye twitched.
Levi almost smiled.
"That's unfortunate," Reed said.
He spread his arms.
"But luckily for me, while I may not be as strong as a captain or lieutenant..."
The surrounding lawmen raised their weapons.
"I brought enough men to compensate."
Levi counted quickly.
Too many.
Reed smiled.
"Kill them both."
Gunfire erupted.
Levi moved first.
Electricity exploded across his body.
Bullets ripped through the space where he'd been standing.
His trench knife snapped into his hand.
Levi surged forward.
A gunman's wrist bent backward beneath the reinforced knuckle guard.
The revolver hit the street.
Levi pivoted.
Another officer swung a saber.
His karambit caught the blade.
Sparks exploded between them.
Electricity raced through the steel.
The officer screamed and collapsed.
Behind Levi, ice erupted.
A wall formed between Lily and a line of gunmen.
Bullets hammered into it.
Cracks spread instantly.
Lily thrust both hands forward.
The wall shattered outward.
Fragments of ice tore through weapons, sleeves, and legs.
Men fell.
But Lily was already exhausted from the collar.
Levi saw it.
Every wall took longer.
Every breath came harder.
Every movement was slower.
"Stay behind me!"
"I don't need a babysitter!"
An officer raised his pistol toward her.
Lily snapped her hand upward.
An ice spike punched through the weapon before he could fire.
The pistol shattered.
Her knees nearly buckled.
Levi appeared beside her.
"You need to live."
Something in his voice silenced her.
He stepped forward.
More officers surrounded them.
Levi could kill them.
That would be easier.
Much easier.
Lightning didn't care whether the person conducting it survived.
Levi did.
These men were corrupt.
Traffickers.
Murderers.
But they were still suspects.
Still officers.
Still people who could answer questions.
So Levi restrained himself.
Broken wrists.
Dislocated shoulders.
Shattered weapons.
Enough current to incapacitate.
Never enough to stop a heart.
It was costing him.
Reed noticed.
"You should've stayed in your lane, Captain!"
Levi turned.
Reed pushed through the chaos with a blade in hand.
Levi's eyes burned white.
Lightning crawled across his arms.
"And let filth like you hide behind a badge?"
Thunder rolled overhead.
"Not a chance."
Levi drove his hand toward the ground.
Electricity exploded outward.
The street flashed white.
A stormwave ripped through the remaining officers.
Weapons flew.
Bodies crashed against walls.
Then—
Silence.
Smoke drifted through the street.
Groans came from every direction.
Lily staggered toward Levi.
Blood marked one side of her uniform.
Frost faded from her palms.
She leaned against him.
"Your chance to surrender has passed."
Levi looked around.
Reed was gone.
Then laughter came from above.
"Looking for me?"
They turned.
Reed stood atop a collapsed cargo container.
Blood ran from his forehead.
One arm held the wounded auctioneer upright.
The other held something Levi had never seen before.
A strange device.
At its center, something pulsed red.
Levi's instincts screamed at him.
"Reed."
The sergeant smiled.
"Looks like things didn't go as planned."
The auctioneer suddenly realized what Reed was holding.
His face drained of color.
"No."
Reed looked at him.
"Don't worry, Captain."
The device began to glow.
"I won't leave you empty-handed."
"No!"
The auctioneer struggled.
"Reed, don't!"
Reed slammed the device into his chest.
The world turned black and crimson.
Energy erupted outward.
Levi threw himself in front of Lily.
The auctioneer screamed.
His body twisted.
Skin hardened.
Black plates erupted across his flesh like obsidian armor, glowing crimson veins spreading between them.
Bones snapped.
Reformed.
Expanded.
Reed disappeared into the growing mass.
Then his face emerged along the creature's back.
Not attached naturally.
Embedded.
Stretched across the husk like a parasite.
Lily stared.
"What the hell is that?"
The creature lifted its head.
Reed's voice came from inside it.
Layered.
Wet.
Wrong.
"My gift..."
The creature took a step.
Stone cracked beneath its weight.
"...to Five Points' finest."
Levi raised his knife.
"What did you do?"
Reed laughed.
"The collars were fragments."
Black markings crawled across the creature.
"This..."
Its chest split slightly.
Crimson light pulsed within.
"...is the source."
The pressure hit them.
Levi dropped to one knee.
His lightning vanished.
Lily screamed and clutched her ribs.
It felt as though something invisible had wrapped itself around Levi's body and ordered every muscle to stop.
His Star-given power resisted.
The thing pushed back.
Reed's laughter echoed through the street.
"The Heart of Subjugation."
Levi forced one foot beneath himself.
The creature advanced.
Every step cracked the ground.
"You won't stop me."
Levi's teeth clenched.
"Not now."
Lily struggled onto one knee.
"Not when I'm this close to breaking the chains on this city."
Levi finally forced himself upright.
"I've heard enough."
He looked toward Lily.
"Can you still fight?"
Her breathing was ragged.
Frost crawled weakly across one hand.
"I'll crawl if I have to."
Levi smiled.
"Good."
Lightning returned to his fingertips.
"Then let's end this."
They attacked together.
Lily struck first.
Ice raced across the ground, locking around the creature's legs.
Levi followed.
Lightning cracked.
He appeared at its side.
One strike.
Two.
Three.
Each hit exploded against the obsidian armor.
The creature roared.
Black collar markings erupted from its chest.
They stretched outward like living tendrils.
Levi dodged one.
Cut another.
A third wrapped around Lily's ankle.
Her eyes widened.
"No."
Ice erupted from her leg.
The collar shattered.
Levi landed beside her.
"No more of this."
Current flooded through his body.
His trench knife came alive with electricity.
The air around him distorted.
Then—
Thunder.
Levi vanished.
For a fraction of a second, his body ceased behaving like flesh.
He became current.
Pure motion.
"Direct Current."
He reappeared against the creature's chest.
His trench knife punched into the obsidian plating.
A concussive blast followed his arrival.
The armor cracked.
The creature staggered backward.
Levi ripped the knife free.
Collar tendrils lashed toward him.
His karambit shot from his other hand, trailing its wire.
The curved blade intercepted one of the markings.
Lightning surged through it.
The tendril split apart.
Levi pulled.
The karambit snapped back into his hand.
His breathing had grown heavier.
Then the creature moved.
Not toward him.
Toward Lily.
"Lily!"
She raised both hands.
Ice formed.
Too slowly.
The creature's claws tore through the unfinished barrier.
Then through her uniform.
Blood sprayed across the ground.
Lily flew backward.
She hit hard.
"LILY!"
Levi's voice cracked.
She tried to rise.
Couldn't.
Blood pooled beneath her hand as she pressed it against her ribs.
The creature stepped over her.
Its claws rose.
Levi saw Stone.
For one impossible instant, he was six years younger again.
Watching someone he cared about die because he hadn't been strong enough to stop it.
No.
Not again.
Lightning detonated.
Levi crossed the distance before the creature's claws could fall.
His blade tore through its arm.
Thunder exploded outward.
Levi drove his shoulder into the monster and ripped it away from Lily.
The creature crashed through a wall.
Levi immediately returned to her.
"Lily."
Her eyes opened.
"I'm..."
"Don't."
He lifted her carefully and moved her away from the fight.
"I'm fine."
"You're bleeding."
"I noticed."
Levi lowered her against a section of stone.
Then stood.
Something had changed.
Lightning crawled beneath his skin.
His veins glowed like molten glass.
His breathing became shallow.
Controlled.
The calmness was gone.
Lily looked up at him.
"Levi..."
He turned toward the creature.
Bloodlust filled his eyes.
"You bastard."
His trench knife rose.
The karambit followed.
For a moment, both blades hovered, their connecting wires pulled taut as electricity crawled between them.
The creature pulled itself from the rubble.
Levi stepped forward.
"You wanted to see power?"
Lightning condensed around his fists.
"Then feel mine."
His body lowered.
"Direct Current."
The street exploded.
Levi slammed into the creature.
A shockwave shattered nearby windows.
The husk reeled.
Crimson fractures spread across its armor.
Levi rebounded from a wall.
Current gathered in his hand.
A spear of lightning formed.
Not thrown yet.
Compressed.
Focused.
Violent.
Levi launched it.
Then vanished after it.
"Ride the Lightning."
The spear accelerated across the battlefield.
Levi became a bolt of current behind it.
He reappeared in mid-flight.
His fist slammed into the base of the spear.
The impact drove it through the creature's chest.
Light swallowed the street.
The detonation shook the warehouse.
Dust rained from the rafters.
Glass shattered blocks away.
Then the light faded.
The creature remained standing.
Barely.
It dropped to one knee.
Its body was covered in glowing fractures.
Reed's distorted face turned toward Levi.
"You..."
Levi walked toward him.
"...can't stop it..."
Levi said nothing.
"There are more..."
The creature coughed.
"More like me..."
Levi stopped in front of him.
His eyes still burned white.
"I'm growing tired of hearing your voice."
His trench knife flashed.
Reed's throat opened.
Silence.
Levi looked at the creature.
Then drove the trench knife deep into its chest.
Electricity crawled outward from the blade.
He released it.
Turned his back.
And walked toward Lily.
Levi raised one hand.
Snap.
Lightning descended from the sky.
It struck the husk.
CRACK.
Levi continued walking.
Snap.
Another bolt.
CRACK.
The creature convulsed.
Snap.
Lightning tore through it again.
Then again.
And again.
By the time Levi reached Lily, there was nothing behind him but scorched earth and ash drifting through the air.
His eyes dimmed.
The lightning beneath his skin disappeared.
Levi swayed.
Lily struggled to her feet and caught his arm.
"Captain..."
He didn't respond.
"It's over."
She looked toward what remained of Reed.
"I'm okay."
Levi remained standing.
Barely.
"You did it."
Nothing.
"Levi?"
His eyes were open.
But unfocused.
Lily's expression changed.
"Captain?"
His body went limp.
She caught him before he hit the ground.
"Captain!"
Her cry echoed through the ruined warehouse district.
Then everything went black.
Three Days Later
Levi hated paperwork.
He hated paperwork even more with cracked ribs.
He sat in the lobby of the Capital First Lawmen Division with bandages wrapped around his torso and one arm.
Across from him sat Lily, similarly bandaged, though somehow still managing to organize reports with infuriating efficiency.
Levi stared at the form in front of him.
"Why am I doing this?"
Lily didn't look up.
"Because you were involved."
"This isn't even my division."
"You arrested members of this division."
"Corrupt members."
"Still members."
Levi shifted.
Pain shot through his ribs.
He winced.
"Their commander gets back tonight," Lily continued. "I'm fairly certain he'll want an explanation for why half his unit is either in jail or under investigation."
"Not my fault he hired garbage."
Lily turned a page.
"That may be true."
Levi smiled triumphantly.
"But it is your fault that fifty-three of them are currently receiving medical treatment for broken bones."
His smile disappeared.
"If they trained harder, that wouldn't be an issue."
Lily finally looked at him.
"Levi."
"What?"
"Fifty-three."
"They shot at us."
"I'm aware."
"They're alive."
"I'm also aware."
"Then I'd call that restraint."
Lily stared at him for several seconds.
Then returned to her report.
"Not everyone is as dedicated to training as you are."
"Sounds like a personal problem."
"Finish the report."
Levi groaned.
"We nearly died three days ago."
"And?"
"I feel like that should exempt me from paperwork."
"It does not."
"Medical leave?"
"No."
"Emotional trauma?"
"Definitely not."
"Religious holiday?"
Lily slowly looked up.
Levi sighed.
"Fine."
He picked up his pen.
"Can we at least eat afterward?"
"Finish the report and I'll buy."
Levi stopped.
"You're paying?"
"If it makes you write faster."
He immediately bent over the paperwork.
Lily shook her head.
For a few minutes, only the scratching of their pens filled the room.
Levi glanced sideways.
Lily was alive.
Bandaged.
Bruised.
Annoying.
Alive.
His gaze lingered.
Three days earlier, he had watched claws tear through her side.
He remembered the blood.
Remembered the feeling that came afterward.
The moment restraint stopped mattering.
Levi looked down at his hands.
Reed had deserved punishment.
He had trafficked people.
Corrupted lawmen.
Tried to murder Lily.
Used something neither of them understood.
But Levi hadn't arrested him.
He hadn't even tried.
He had executed him.
Then reduced what remained to ash.
Stone's voice surfaced somewhere deep in his memory.
Enforcing the law and delivering justice aren't always the same thing.
Levi stared at the unfinished report.
For the first time, he wondered which one he had delivered.
"Levi?"
He looked up.
Lily was watching him.
"You alright?"
He glanced toward her bandages.
Then smiled faintly.
"Yeah."
She didn't look convinced.
"Just thinking."
"That's dangerous."
"There she is."
Lily smirked.
Levi returned to the report.
Outside, the capital continued as though nothing had happened.
Automobiles moved through crowded streets.
Telephones rang.
Trains arrived.
Lawmen patrolled.
Five Points endured.
But somewhere beneath all of it, something had changed.
Reed's final words refused to leave Levi's mind.
There are more.
He didn't know what the Heart of Subjugation was.
He didn't know where it had come from.
He didn't know how many others existed.
But he knew one thing.
This hadn't ended anything.
It had started something.