Amy One’s call had sent us on our own def-con 1.


    Fifteen grueling minutes later and a mountain of traffic violations and serious cosmetic damage to the car. We found ourselves in Grandma Foster’s kitchen. She had a plate of warm cookies, cups of milk waiting for us along with several handguns, knives and I saw Grandma’s flamethrower within arms reach from where she was sitting.


    When we have reasons to capture a target. Pop and Dad had set up multiple avenues to secure them without giving them a chance to identify us. The locations were under alias, and they were leased or paid for with cash. Most were linked with video surveillance, and we watched a figure in black walk up to the door and with one hand the door vanished and without any apprehension. Amy’s unknown savior walked inside and a minute later, the two of them walked out.


    “That’s not Suzy,” Mom said, “and I doubt Someone would have come to free her.”


    “But who was it?” Tony asked.


    “And how did he take down a door with just a single touch?” Pop asked.


    The holding site was burned, and we questioned who we saw on the video. We were in a mood and the temperament felt like we were now executives in a company ready to slit each other’s throats.


    “I’m looking into the breach,” Pop said, “but its going to take some time. We can’t risk any lengthy long-distance communication until we make sure that Amy One isn’t listening in.


    “No one’s been able to do that because no one has known to even think trying,” Tony said. “We went out on a limb and took out a high-profile individual who apparently has high powered friends. Do you think she was biding her time?”


    “No,” Dad said, “She didn’t know about us, and we hadn’t planned to snatch her so no one would have known beforehand.”


    “Maybe it was Mezzaro,” Grandma said, “It’s the one name we can’t account for.”


    No one refuted that. It was the one solution that actually made sense.


    “Where do we go from here?” Mom asked after a brief pause. I watched people’s attention consider the cookies, and Dad had at least taken a drink from his cup of milk. So far, no one had taken a cookie, but most of us were thinking the same thing.


    “I’ve not picked up on any spies lurking in the shadows or hiding in the weeks.” Pop said. “I don’t like the idea that this Mezzaro character might know something about us, but if its any consolation. I’ve had video feeds, The IC3 and every trap active. If someone knew about us, we’d know about it.”


    “I don''t doubt you did your job, Pop and it’s good to have the reassurance.” Dad put his hands together and rested his chin on them. “But there are beings out there that are smarter than we are and can surprise if when we’re not paying attention. You taught me that years ago. We didn''t cover every angle; it was a rush job, and we should have dealt with her, but we needed information.”


    “I didn’t get much out of her,” Grandma said, “you can’t use traditional methods on a shapeshifter.”


    “True,” Dad said, “and in a handful of scenarios, she could have made her escape. I’m not ready to beat us down on the oversight. Amy One has some skills, but she has showed her hand. She let us know that she’s paying attention. That will keep us on our guard, and we can be ready when she strikes.”


    Tony massaged his shoulder. “No offense Dad, but when a target comes at us, or the public. We at least know what to look out for. Amy One could do anything and where we don’t have a face, or very many clues that puts us at a serious disadvantage. We’re not too far off from Grandma’s favorite word-”


    “Bedlam,” Grandma said without thinking.


    Tony trilled his lips, then snatched the cookie from the plate and began to eat it.


    “We’ve dealt with some serious monsters,” Pop said, “shapeshifters are intimidating and annoying, but they’re not unbeatable. We don’t have to live looking over our shoulder because we think they’re on our trail.”


    “That’s precisely what we’re not going to do,” Dad said, as I snatched a cookie from the plate myself. “It’s sounds silly, but we’re not prey. Shapeshifters stalk their targets. They want them to be uneasy. She thrives on information. Its why she kept offering a job, protection before resorting to threats. We wanted to know what we knew. She could have been lying, but to me, Amy One seems like the type of person who would rub her enemies’ noses in what she knows.”


    “She hacked out video call,” Mom said, “That’s not just an inconvenience. It’s a show of force. We don’t know if she got any data from the intrusion.”


    “True,” Dad agreed, “but I’m reasonably sure she doesn''t know who we are right now. She told us that something was going to go down at the carnival. I bet she did so because she wants us to do her dirty work.”


    “Sounds like it would be a good idea to dial back,” Mom said, “She’ll be watching for people who stand out, for people trying too hard to not be noticed.”


    “But she can’t reveal herself too quickly because there is always a chance, she’ll be wrong,” Pop said. “I agree she’ll be watching, but we’re in the clear for now.


    “We’re not in the clear. We’re at a crossroads,” Dad said, he leaned forward and picked up a cookie himself. “Amy One wanted us to know she’s watching, and she only has theories about who we are.”


    “Cops,” Tony said.


    “More or less,” Dad added, “and her belief that we fight because of a moral high ground would push us toward the one clue we do have. The carnival.”


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    “Is that still happening?” Mom asked.


    Grandma nodded, “The city council has been planning for it since before the Main Street attack. There wasn’t enough time to stop all the vendors and booths coming in from other towns and some businesses really bank on the advertising every year.”


    “We''d be foolish to go,” Pop insisted. “A dark witch is a huge threat, and it doesn’t bode well, which I know is putting it mildly, but I can’t bring myself to challenge one villain while another is holding a gun squarely at my back. Amy told us that something was going down, but she didn’t give us anything concrete.”


    Pop turned toward Dad and had a sharp, commanding expression. “She will be there and it’s a public setting.”


    “We’ve had encounters in public before,” Dad said.


    “True, but this is worse,” Pop pushed. “We don’t know what we’re looking for. We don’t know what we’re trying to stop, and we also don’t know if M.A.G.E will have a presence there. It’s too risky, and it''s almost certain that we’ll get caught or give Amy enough clues to pin us down.”


    Dad fumbled with some cookie crumbs and kicked the table with his toe before getting to his feet.


    “I do agree with Pop,” said Grandma. “I’ve quite enjoyed our semi-retirement from encounters, and I like that we’re our own bosses. James, you’re good at what you do. You all are. We can make a plan, but at this point, it will be rushed, and there will be plenty of unknown variables apart from the monsters. There will be people that you know, along with news reporters and cops.”


    “Those factors will be a challenge for Suzy and her crew,” Dad said, “they’ve made too much noise in the past few weeks that I doubt they’d confront the cops directly.”


    “Undercover M.A.G.E agents will be a roadblock for them as well,” Mom said.


    “All true,” Grandma said, “but for us, this will be a trap and there are only two conceivable ways that this plays out. We may get lucky and take out her competition, but Amy will know that it’s us and she’ll be ready before she makes a move against us.”


    “What’s the second?” Tony asked.


    Grandma assumed a somber expression before she spoke. “We either get caught or killed but not before doing something to mess with their competition. So, either way, it''s a win. For her.”


    “I’ve reasoned the same things,” Dad said, “and while it would seem prudent to take cover and hope it blows over. I think we were all in agreement that the odds are slim that this will blow over happily. I understand the variables. I understand the risk. I also understand that people will not survive tonight if Suzy Sourblood is allowed to run freely through town.”


    Tony swiped at his chin, wiping the crumbs from his mouth, and plucked a second cookie from the plate. Dad took another one himself and got to his feet.


    “Since this whole thing started,” Dad said between small bites. “It''s been wild and disjointed. However, if you think like a villain each piece is a master plan. The Main Street attack took out the government’s first line of defense. It was a swift kick that cracked their confidence, and internally, they needed to button down the hatch to salvage the operation. Amy One is a threat, but she’s an outlier because she came to take advantage of the situation. She’s got resources and skills, but she’s not a team player. The encounter with a vampire has turned into a problem for our bad guys because people are on their guard. They shook things up with the ghosts, and the panic attack was a test run. They cleared the field, and they have the energy and presence to take their next step.”


    I finished my milk, and I got to my feet. Dad glanced at me; his gaze offered me the floor to speak. He sighed and took a slightly larger bite.


    “We''ll have to take them out 1 by 1,” I said, “they’re smart; they’ve coordinated their efforts to do something, and their focus will be on that. Monsters aren’t omniscient, we can distract them and hit them before they’re any the wiser.”


    I looked at Dad who nodded and smiled at me.


    “We still have a small element of surprise on our side, so we’ll use that. Before we do anything, we’ll play it smart. If it''s something that we can’t deal with using our using tools, we’ll stand down.”


    “We can’t all carry everything, Dad,” I said.


    “We’ll split them up and we’ll stay relatively close so we can back each other up and so no one gets caught off guard.”


    “Off guard,” Grandma muttered, “Oh that’s not good.”


    All eyes fell on Grandma.


    “Sweetie?” Pop questioned.


    “He said that same thing before he was caught,” Grandma said, her nerves were getting the better of her. Her hands trembled, and Pop hurried to her side.


    “Everything that’s happened has caught everyone, us, M.A.G.E and the general public off guard. The bad guys attacked M.A.G.E and that created panic and hysteria, and all of that was enough to ignite the Phantom Siege, but what did it do? It created more panic and I need to see that video again, the one in the alley.”


    I pulled out my phone, opened it up, and handed it over. Grandma played the video, and then she paused it about thirty seconds in, and she zoomed in on the driver''s side where, through the distorted image, I could see fingers wrapped around the steering wheel.


    “There was a fourth person,” I gasped. “a driver.”


    “Yes, there was,” Grandma said, “and the video catches Suzy, Frankie, and Someone talking. So, who is number four?”


    “There aren’t many people willing to work with a dark witch,” Pop said then he visibly went white and clapped a hand to his forehead. “A necromancer. A dark witch could do it, but why run the risk when you could get someone practiced controlling the ghosts.”


    “Did they do all of this to bring someone back from the dead?” Dad asked. “Aren’t there locks that prevent the worst of the worst from coming back?’


    Pop folded his arms, “There are also locks that prevent most unsavory creatures from returning. Although, on rare occasions, they come back, those times are known as demonic possessions.”


    Dad looked at Mom, who gave a thumbs up at the same time she looked ready to throw up. “A large-scale siege could break those locks to let someone truly terrible back into the living world. A necromancer would be the most likely candidate. It’s the bridge line between phantomists and necromancers or a medium. If you invite them, and they come, you can talk freely without any repercussions.  You can compel a ghost to come to you but you’ll get tainted or stained by the malicion.”


    Grandma gripped the table. “A necromancer would get around that.”


    She looked at Pop. “He did have an apprentice that was never caught. I think they went by the moniker RIP.”


    “A necromancer named Rip,” said Tony.


    Grandma chewed on her lips. “Not Rip, like Rip Van Winkle, or rip a piece of paper.”


    “People put it on gravestones for Rest in Peace, but for R.I.P., it would stand for Rip in pieces. Pyron Fowler, rumored had it that he had a number one. Someone who he trusted without any doubt. He or she was never identified, so they were never caught.”


    “R.I.P. has got to be old by now, right?” Tony asked.


    “No,” Mom said, “when you can manipulate death. You tap hard and unnatural powers.”


    “Which is what necromancers do,” Pop said, “They’re pretty secretive and they make Amy One look like a grumpy school girl.”


    Mom’s eyes widened. “It’s true, isn’t it? They can do self-animation.”


    Dad moved to mom’s side. “What’s self-animation?”


    Pop stiffened while Grandma looked a little jittery. “It’s a trick they use to come back to seek revenge if someone manages to get the upper hand and kill them.”


    “That could be the missing piece.” I interjected, “Mom, Dad could that be why those creatures were looking through computers then? All those files in the different offices? Could RIP have forced them to maybe look for something?”


    “I don''t think they would have put Pyron''s body in a cemetery,” Pop said. “They might have been looking for where they buried him so he could come back and finish what he started.”


    “That’s got to be it,” Mom said, “They want to have a scream fest and bring Pyron Fowler back.”


    Dad looked at Mom, who smiled but was tense, and tears had smudged her makeup.


    “Pop, we’ll need your best stuff,” Dad said, “and we’ll need costumes too.”


    Grandma snapped her fingers. “I can help with that.”