He was quiet for a moment, and I watched him work through the problem — always thinking, always analyzing, always trying to find the optimal solution. One of the things I loved about him was that methodical mind which approached even impossible situations with calm rationality.
At last, he nodded. “Five feet should work. That’s close enough to maintain the connection, but far enough to avoid an accidental merge. I’ll monitor your vitals and watch for DAPI forces. If anything threatens you while you’re vulnerable, I’ll handle it.”
“With what?” I forced myself to be practical. adding, “You’re not a fighter.”
“With whatever it takes.” His tone was one of absolute certainty, and I felt an echo of that emotion through our connection. It wasn’t bravado or false confidence, just determination backed by a love so fierce that it stole my breath. “Sidney, you’re about to sacrifice everything to save the phoenix and the portal network. The least I can do is make sure no one shoots you while you’re doing it.”
I wanted to argue, to tell him that his life mattered more than mine. If DAPI forces showed up, staying to protect my unconscious body would be suicide. But I knew Ben well enough to understand that arguing would be pointless. He’d made his decision, just as I’d made mine when I pushed that electromagnetic pulse to free him from Rosenthal’s facility.
We were both too stubborn to leave the other behind.
Rebecca Morse emerged from the trees, her expression grim, and uneasiness churned in my stomach. Something in the set of her jaw told me the news wasn’t good before she even opened her mouth.
“It’s worse than we thought,” she said. She sounded brisk, relaying information but not allowing herself to get caught up in all its ramifications. “More tactical positions than Eric’s intel suggested. I counted at least thirty agents, not twenty-five. And they’re not just positioned to the north and east. They’ve got coverage on all sides.”
So Rosenthal had a complete perimeter. She’d surrounded the portal site.
Ben scowled. “She knew we’d come here. She knew we needed the portal to complete the ritual. So she set up an ambush and waited.”
“The diversion won’t be enough.” My voice sounded much steadier than I felt. Even if Eric Hargrove’s containment failure pulled thirty percent of those forces away, we’d still be outnumbered. “When he triggers the failure at the artificial portal, some agents will respond, but Rosenthal will keep enough here to capture us.”
Rebecca’s frown matched Ben’s in intensity, although she seemed calm enough as she said, “I’ll need my phone back. I have to tell Eric to abort.”
“No,” I said at once, my tone sharp. I looked down at the phoenix, at the corruption that had spread to cover everything except that small patch around its heart. “We don’t have time for a new plan. The phoenix has maybe an hour left if we’re lucky. If we abort now, if we delay, it dies. The portal network will collapse, and my family will stay trapped forever.”
“Sidney — ” Rebecca began.
I shook my head. “I’m starting the merge.” I turned toward them both and made myself say what needed to be said, even though every word felt like another nail in my coffin. “When the DAPI forces close in, you both need to run. Don’t try to protect me. Once I’m merged with the phoenix, I’ll be beyond their reach anyway. They can’t capture what doesn’t have a physical form.”
“That’s not happening,” Ben said. His voice was flat, final.
I’d been afraid he would say that. “Ben, be reasonable,” I told him. “You can’t fight thirty trained agents. You’ll die.”
“Then I’ll die.” He said the words simply, as if his own death was just another variable in a much bigger equation. “Sidney, do you really think I’m going to stand by while Rosenthal captures your body when your consciousness is trapped in phoenix fire? Let her experiment on you when you can’t defend yourself?”
Why did he have to be so stubborn? “I’m not worth dying for.”
His eyes narrowed. “Yes, you are. And more importantly, this isn’t just about you. It’s about the phoenix, the portal network, your family, every supernatural site on Earth that depends on the natural energy flow. So we’re not aborting, and we’re not running. We’re going to complete this ritual and destroy Rosenthal’s weapon, no matter what.”
“And how are we supposed to manage that?” I asked. “How do we hold off thirty agents for hours while I’m unconscious?”
Still with those narrowed eyes and taut jaw, Ben said, “How long does the ritual actually take? Do you have any clear idea?”
I didn’t. What I was about to attempt had never been done before, so there was nothing to compare it to. “I don’t know for sure. With this level of corruption, with the full merge instead of just anchoring? Hours. Maybe three or four.”
“Then we’ll hold for three or four hours.” Ben made that statement as if it was the simplest thing in the world. As if holding off thirty DAPI agents while I was unconscious and vulnerable was just another logistics problem to solve. “Rebecca, you have tactical training. Can we create a defensive position?”
She scanned the clearing for a moment. “The stone circle provides some protection. Limited approach angles. If I position myself at the north entrance and you take the south, we can create overlapping fields of fire. It won’t stop a coordinated assault, but it’ll slow them down.”
“It won’t stop them at all,” I said, since I didn’t see the point in continuing the charade. “Rebecca, be honest. Can two people hold this position against thirty trained agents?”
She met my gaze, and I saw the truth in her eyes before she spoke. “No. Not for hours. Maybe twenty minutes if we’re lucky. Maybe thirty if they’re cautious about casualties.”
Considering that Rosenthal had already proven she wasn’t too concerned about a high body count, I didn’t find that scenario very likely. “Then it’s suicide.”
“Probably.” Rebecca sounded calm. Part of her training, maybe, learning to come to terms with her own mortality. “But your family’s been protecting this town and this portal for generations. Someone has to stand for that. It might as well be us.”
Tears burned in my eyes. How could she and Ben both be willing to sacrifice themselves so I could complete an impossible ritual?
