Corey shivered. There was something large and rough gently stroking his back, up and down along the curve of his side. It felt good, but he was warm—uncomfortably hot, even. He didn’t remember it ever being this hot in Marcus’ bedroom. If anything, his Master actually liked it somewhat cold.

As he groggily opened his eyes, Corey realized with a start that he wasn’t in tranquility anymore. A dull red sky streaked with sparse white clouds stretched across the heavens. It was something, to behold, for sure, and strangely familiar.

A harsh, blistering wind scoured the cracked volcanic landscape. Scarce tufts of hardy grass sticking out from the crevices in the earth shook violently in the howling gale. Every now and again a blade of grass would burst into flame like kindling as a glowing ember carried by the wind landed on its dry surface.

It was as inhospitable a landscape as Corey could imagine and yet, despite his nakedness, he felt no great discomfort other than at the temperature. In fact, not even his nakedness bothered him, having gotten so used to wearing nothing in his Master’s home.

The feeling of skin against his own didn’t even register as particularly strange to Corey until it dawned on him that he was sitting on what felt like the biggest thigh that he’d ever felt. His ass was resting on taut, firm muscle. His legs laid across the giant’s thigh, draping down the side, and yet his feet didn’t even touch the stone of the giant’s chair.

What had, initially seemed to be a reddish rock formation to Corey’s right side, he now understood to be the giant’s stomach. The large thing stroking up and down his back, he could only imagine was one or two of the giant’s fingers.

Corey craned his neck to look up at the face of the giant. His eyes raked across the giant’s 16-pack abs and caught the glint of golden nipple rings pierced through the giant’s nipples. A pair of ridged horns framed the demon giant’s handsome face, and his oil-black locks reached all the way to his shoulders.

Staring into the demon giant’s eyes, the inky-black sclerae and golden irises, Corey started to remember. Now that he and his alter ego in Tempest were in agreement, the memories were returning. As they did, the brand resting on Corey’s ass cheek became sinfully hot, and he moaned.

"Lord Thaz," Corey murmured, leaning his head against the demon lord’s stomach. He felt so small. Even smaller than the first time that he had had the privilege of sitting on Lord Thaz’s lap. He didn’t remember Lord Thaz being so big.

Lord Thaz chuckled. He patted Corey on the head with the pad of his index finger. Corey felt like someone had taken a huge sledgehammer to his head instead, but surprisingly it didn’t feel so bad. "This is how I truly am," said Lord Thaz. "During our previous meeting, I adopted a more familiar size so as to not cause you and Castor undue distress."

Corey nodded. That made sense, though in the state he had been at the time, he wasn’t sure it would have mattered the moment he saw Lord Thaz’s massive erect cocks. "Thank you, sir," said Corey. "How am I here again?"

"You are not here again," said Lord Thaz. "I have pulled your astral form to my domain. Your real body remains at your Master’s manor. He said that he would be busy today and asked me if I would like to keep you for a day."

"You know Master?" said Corey. He hadn’t expected that Imperious would know a demon lord, but it wasn’t exactly surprising. He’d always suspected that most of the big villains knew each other.

Lord Thaz chuckled. "You think me a villain, little one?" he said, the corner of his lips twitching in a small smirk. "I suppose in the sense that I care little for human life as a concept and am willing to do unspeakable things and pay unconscionable prices to get what I want, I do qualify as a villain."

Corey blushed. He hadn’t meant to label Lord Thaz a villain. But then again, Lord Thaz was a demon lord, so he didn’t think it was an unreasonable assumption. "Point taken, little one," said Lord Thaz. He laughed, the wind around them seeming to quiver at the sound. "though to answer your other question, Marcus and I have known each other for some time."

Lord Thaz seemed almost wistful for a moment. "I have family planetside, you see," said Lord Thaz. "Both actual offspring, and the members of my cult who I consider my sons. Without Marcus’ considerable financial assistance, they would have been ruined long ago."

If he was being honest, Corey would have never imagined such a relationship to exist between his Master and the demon lord. He had known Marcus was wealthy, but wealthy enough to help a cult a planet away? That was something, for sure.

"In exchange for his help, I have exerted my influence in service to many of Marcus’ causes over the years," said Lord Thaz. It was strange to see a demon lord smile in so genuine a way. Pop culture had conditioned Corey to think that all demon lords were irredeemably evil. Lord Thaz seemed almost human, in a way.

Corey blushed, remembering that Lord Thaz could read his thoughts. Lord Thaz didn’t seem to take offense at the comparison, whatsoever. "Should I?" said Lord Thaz. "While it is true that there are many of your kind who I find contemptible, on the whole I rather find you humans quite interesting."

Lord Thaz chuckled. "Your master, for instance, is quite a character. When he insisted upon giving my family the means that they needed to thrive, he did not demand anything of them, or of me. I found that rather interesting and sought him out."

Corey sighed. The more time he spent in Lord Thaz’s lap, the more he became accustomed to the demon lord’s heat. It was actually rather comforting, and the way that Lord Thaz was speaking, he could almost imagine he was being told a bedtime story. Lord Thaz seemed amused by the idea.

"In the beginning my relationship with your master was, for lack of a better term, strictly professional," said Lord Thaz. "Marcus invested in my family and their ventures, helping them get established, while I used my infernal influence to aid Marcus’ causes. As I am sure you understand, a lust demon’s power is no small help when you are attempting to influence someone."

However strange the circumstances were, Corey actually liked this. He felt like he was getting to know Marcus a bit more, albeit through someone else’s point of view.

"I like to think that in the years since, Marcus and I have become friends," said Lord Thaz. "Should the time ever come that I am free to leave this place, I think I shall pay you and your Master a visit. Would you like that, little one?"

Corey nodded against Lord Thaz’s stomach. "Yes, sir," he said. "I would like that."

"Now enough talk of yesterday and tomorrow," said Lord Thaz. "Let us talk of today, and what you and I will be doing together for it." There was a distinct, menacing tone to Lord Thaz’s words that sent a shiver down Corey’s spine. It was a dangerous tone, and despite himself, he was looking forward to finding out what it meant.

Something hot and hard pushed up against Corey’s feet. He rubbed the soles of his feet against the smooth skin, enjoying the way that it felt. It wasn’t until he looked down that Corey realized he was playing with one of Lord Thaz’s enormous cocks as it slowly hardened.

"See something you’d like to play with, little one?" said Lord Thaz, an appropriately devilish smirk playing on his lips. His eyes were glowing like embers. Corey shivered. He felt like helpless prey in Lord Thaz’s predatory gaze.

Corey gulped and nodded. "Yes, Lord Thaz," he said. His cheeks felt hot. His whole body felt hot. His cock, still caged, strained and leaked against Lord Thaz’s hot skin. "It would be a privilege to pleasure one of your mighty cocks," Corey whispered.

"Oh, is that what you think?" said Lord Thaz. The corner of his lip turned upward in a smirk. He reached down and rubbed Corey’s stomach with the tip of his pinky. Corey moaned, blushing at how unexpectedly good the touch felt. "I daresay you are correct. Though it is also a personal honor for me that Marcus would entrust you to me for a day."

"W-What would you have me do, Lord Thaz?" said Corey. The demon lord’s cock was steadily rising. It was huge. No, it was enormous. With the color of Lord Thaz’s skin, he almost felt like he was staring down one of those legendary giant redwood sequoia trees he’d read about.

Corey nearly jumped when he felt Lord Thaz’s thumb and forefinger pinch together at his sides. Despite his size, Lord Thaz was surprisingly gentle and despite holding Corey firmly enough to lift him up, never squeezed him so tightly that it hurt.

There was a strange thrill to being lifted dozens of feet in the air by a giant that made Corey’s cock strain against the confines of its cage. He dribbled pre-cum liberally as Lord Thaz carefully raised him to the level of one of the demon lord’s swollen cock heads.

Lord Thaz deposited Corey on top of one of his cocks. It was slippery with pre-cum, but Corey managed to find footing on the demon lord’s foreskin. It didn’t take long before he was soaked in pre-cum. Lord Thaz’s emission was hot. It was almost like taking a bath in scalding water, but despite being somewhat uncomfortable, it wasn’t painful.

Corey laid himself against Lord Thaz’s spongy cock head. He rested his arms on the sensitive flesh and waved them up and own as if he was making a snow angel. Lord Thaz chuckled. "I take it you enjoy your new place."

Corey nodded as he rubbed his face against Lord Thaz’s cock. It was so warm. So musky. He slowly walked around the rim of Lord Thaz’s foreskin until he was right underneath the demon lord’s piss slit. He turned his head upward and caught the next glob of pre-cum that dripped out with his face.

The pre-cum tasted smoky and salty and spicy on Corey’s tongue as he greedily gobbled it up. It felt so good on the way down, filling his stomach with a tingly heat. It was a good thing Lord Thaz produced so much because he was sure he could drink an ocean of the stuff.

"Interesting," said Lord Thaz. Corey could only moan as he guzzled more and more of Lord Thaz’s pre-cum. However much he drank, he felt like he could drink more. He wasn’t getting full at all. "Perhaps we can explore that idea the next time that Marcus lends you to me," said Lord Thaz.

The more pre-cum Corey had, the hotter he felt inside. He was so fucking horny and thirsty. He could feel his belly swelling, slowly lifting him off Lord Thaz’s glans as he consumed the seemingly-endless flow of pre-cum.

If he didn’t stop soon, Corey was sure he would end up looking like a naked, non-blue version of Violet from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. "Oh don’t you worry that pretty little head of yours," said Lord Thaz. "I wouldn’t let it come to that."

Corey moaned. The heat was getting to be unbearable. It was coming from inside him, from the immense volume of pre-cum that he had swallowed. He felt like he was going to melt, and it didn’t take long before he realized that that was exactly what he was doing.

"While this is something that I could do with your real body were you actually here in my domain with me," said Lord Thaz, "doing this with your astral form is much more convenient and takes a lot less effort."

A quiet gurgle was the only sound that Corey could muster as his body continued to dissolve inside and out. It didn’t hurt. On the contrary, it felt so good. Before long, his vision blurred and darkened. He couldn’t see. He couldn’t hear. He couldn’t smell anything. All that Corey could do was feel and taste, and it was ecstasy.

From what Corey could tell, he wasn’t melting into a liquid, or anything like that, though it was rather difficult to ascertain when he had no concept of where in the undifferentiated mass of melted flesh his body parts were. If anything, he was turning more into a misshapen lump of human clay.

Somewhere in that lump was Corey’s metal cock cage. He could feel it acutely, every bend and curve and nook and cranny of it. It wasn’t wrapped around his cock anymore. Not that he had a cock right now. If anything, his whole body felt like his cock, and despite being soft and malleable, the sensation was akin to having the biggest, hardest erection of his life.

Lord Thaz’s voice echoed in Corey’s mind, every bit as deep and seductive as it was, normally. "I have many ways of making sure that you can take one or both of my cocks, but I like this one, especially."

Corey would have moaned when Lord Thaz picked him up if he could, but he had no mouth to do so. His whole body was so hypersensitive that the touch of Lord Thaz’s fingers made the shapeless blob that was him quiver and squirm.

There was a moment of exhilaration as Lord Thaz let go of Corey. He felt his gloopy body splatter somewhat when he landed about two seconds later. Judging from the grooves and channels he could feel under him, Corey guessed that Lord Thaz had dropped him into the palm of his hand.

"Not that you are possessed of the ability to say no at the moment, but I suspect that you would not protest the notion of being wrapped around my cock for the rest of the day," said Lord Thaz. Corey shivered. He definitely wouldn’t mind.

"Good," said Lord Thaz. "Now, I think you will be best served if you did not have the capacity to think so much. After all, a condom has no need for brains. Its only purpose is to be wrapped tightly around a cock, is it not?"

Yes. Corey thought. It was the last coherent thought he would have as he felt one of Lord Thaz’s thick fingers plunge into the goop that was his body. It was aimed precisely, and though he couldn’t physically feel it, Corey felt his brain getting pulped between Lord Thaz’s finger and palm.

As his brain was turned to mush and mixed in with the rest of his body, Corey lost the faculties of reason and thought. Life became all about sensation, and it felt so good to be played with like this. Lord Thaz’s finger swirling around in his gloopy body sent shivers of pleasure through his undifferentiated mass.

The pressure and heat of Lord Thaz’s other hand soon pressed down on top of Corey. The friction that he felt as Lord Thaz rolled him out into a nicely flat disc was exquisite. He felt ripples of heat spread through his body as Lord Thaz breathed words of magic on him.

Corey could only silently bear the rapture that he felt as his body’s character changed from dense, gloopy, and unshaped to light, rolled up, and rubbery. Had he had his mind, he would have been able to discern the general shape of his body, though as it was he could only "think" of the pleasure he was feeling.

Corey felt the rumble of Lord Thaz’s pleased hum through his body, though his new form left little room for him to quiver. Lord Thaz said nothing more, for there was nothing that the demon lord could say to something as largely inanimate as Corey had become.

A heartbeat later, Corey felt Lord Thaz pick him up by the tip. He felt himself moving through the air. He felt the heat of Lord Thaz’s cock head at his base, the way that Lord Thaz’s pre-cum stained his insides, soaking into the his rubbery form. It felt good. So good.

Lord Thaz’s thick, rough fingers gently pressed down on the edges of Corey’s body. Corey felt strangely exposed as his body unfolded along the length of Lord Thaz’s cock. The heat was intense, almost like riding the edge of orgasm but seemingly with no end in sight.

When his whole body was stretched taut over Lord Thaz’s cock, Corey felt so full. The pleasure was intense. Rapturous, even. The heat felt like it was going to melt him into a puddle of goo all over again but it didn’t.

Corey had no idea how long he spent just wrapped around Lord Thaz’s magnificent cock like that, his insides slowly filling up with pre-cum as it pooled at his tip and slid down his sides to lubricate Lord Thaz’s shaft. The whole time, the only thing that occupied his primitive consciousness was the sheer pleasure of it all.

Time had no meaning to Corey and before long, even the faintest inkling that he had been anything but Lord Thaz’s condom had flittered away from the dregs of awareness that he still had. Moments blended together into an undifferentiated mass just like Corey’s body had been, and the first time anything changed was when he felt Lord Thaz’s fingers around him.

Lord Thaz’s fingers wrinkled Corey’s body as they pumped up and down his shaft. Corey was helpless. Despite the pre-cum lubricating his insides, the friction was intense. It felt good. So good.

Lord Thaz gradually increased his pace, pumping his fist harder and faster down his shaft with every stroke. It was like one orgasm after the other, all over Corey’s body, as Lord Thaz’s rough hands worked him over.

Corey felt Lord Thaz’s cock stiffen, swell, and throb inside of him before it unleashed a veritable torrent of hot demonic cum into the well at the tip of his condom body. Lord Thaz’s cinched his thumb and index finger around Corey at the base of his cock head, preventing any cum from leaking past his fingers. The sheer volume forced Corey to inflate, more and more cum flooding into his reservoir, filling him with heat and delirious pleasure.

The pressure was intense as Corey felt the cum slosh around inside of him. It built and built and built as he swelled ever larger from the size of Lord Thaz’s emission.

Corey wasn’t going to last. He felt like his body was being stretched to its very limits. The pleasure was intense. Exquisite. Rapturous. And then, all at once, like the best orgasm he’d ever had, his condom body ruptured.

Lord Thaz’s laughter sent a rippling shiver through Corey’s shredded body. Lord Thaz pulled him off his cock and breathed on him. The heat from the demon lord’s breath melted him back into his earlier clay-like form, though this time mixed with Lord Thaz’s cum and pre-cum.

A few words of magic later and Corey felt reason and thought return to him. Lord Thaz’s words were thunderous in his head as the demon lord inquired "did you enjoy that, little one?"

Yes. Yes, I did. Corey thought to himself. It was one of the strangest but at the same time most pleasurable experiences he’d ever had.

"Good," said Lord Thaz, his finger descending to mush Corey’s brains again. "Because we still have a few hours to pass and I haven’t done all that I want to do with you, yet."

---

Senator Lucas Smythe was a Selene City, born in the lower quarter to an accountant and a biochemist. He had grown up in the Commonwealth and had benefited from what historians liked to call the "Age of Sexual Liberation." Of course, he’d had many interactions with people planetside during his career that had dispelled any notions he had that said liberation extended beyond the four corners of the Commonwealth.

Senator Smythe certainly liked to think that despite the largely liberal leanings of his constituents, he would still be welcome in the macho boys club of his planetside conservative peers. Sure, he had certain proclivities that more primitive men insecure in their own sexuality might find offensive, but he was above all of that. He believed in what he liked to think was a more "enlightened" version of masculinity.

Besides, Senator Smythe doubted that anyone would call his masculinity into question once they saw what he was doing with the two buxom blonds that had fallen into his lap thanks in no small part to his political clout.

Spread out underneath him, her hair splayed out behind her in a tangled disarray of ecstasy was the younger sister Cassie. He loved her slim form, and the somewhat vapid cut of her tongue. Her breasts left something to be desired, but he didn’t think he’d ever felt any slut grip his cock so fucking tight before.

Sweat dripped from Senator Smythe’s brow. He moaned as he pulled out of Cassie and his cock was forced back into her by the older sister who was busily plugging away at his hole with probably the thickest strap-on he’d ever taken.

The older sister had been drilling Senator Smythe so mercilessly for the past half hour while he fucked the younger one that he had almost forgotten her name from all the rattling his brain was doing inside his skull.

Senator Smythe had never experienced the touch of a dominatrix in his thirty seven years, but this Daphne had awakened a submissiveness inside of him that he just knew he would have to explore in the future. His prostate had never been so wonderfully abused and simply put, he just needed more of it.

Senator Smythe grabbed Cassie’s hands and pushed them into the bed, pinning her down as he kissed her. For how much Cassie had sounded like an air-headed bimbo when the two women met him at his office a few hours ago, she definitely kissed like no one Senator Smythe had ever had the privilege of kissing before.

It was all that Senator Smythe could do as Daphne fucked him with impunity. He could feel the orgasm coming, his balls pulling up into his body, ready to shoot. He could feel his cum boiling, his cock throbbing inside of Cassie’s sopping wet cunt. He was just lucky he’d decided to have a vasectomy done years ago because there was no way he’d be able to pull out with how hard Daphne was going on his ass.

One small shift in the angle of Daphne’s thrusting and Senator Smythe hit an uncontrollable orgasm. Waves of pleasure rolled over him as Daphne hit his prostate directly over and over and over again. His cock exploded, blasting thick ropes of cum inside of Cassie, making her quiver and squirm as her back arched off the bed and her walls fluttered around him.

Sweaty and exhausted in the aftermath, Senator Smythe collapsed on top of Cassie. He rolled over onto the bed beside her once Daphne pulled out of him. She pulled her strap-on off and straddled his legs, though his cock had already gone soft. He wasn’t the stallion he used to be, but he liked to think he could still put up a good rut.

Daphne leaned over Senator Smythe. She walked her fingers up his chest and said, sweetly, "So, will you give our master that meeting he asked for? It would be a shame if we couldn’t do this again."

Senator Smythe laughed. "I like you," he said. "But you could stand to let business wait a little, you know? Sure. Tell your master I’ll see him. If he’s in town, I’m taking the train back to Tranquility later this afternoon. Compartment 910 on the 5:30 to Tranquility."

Daphne chuckled. "I wish we could," she said, gently tapping the side of Senator Smythe’s face. "The things I want to do to you, and the things I’ll make you beg me to do will just have to wait, I suppose. Cassie and I have another visit to make today, and I’m afraid that can’t wait."

Senator Smythe shook his head. "More business like me?" he said.

Daphne shook her head as she dismounted him. Senator Smythe stared as she pushed Cassie off the side of the bed. The younger sister landed on the floor with an audible thump. "Don’t worry about her, she’ll be okay. She just needs a push every once in a while" said Daphne. "And no, it’s our grandfather’s death anniversary tonight. We wanted to get something to celebrate his life."

"Ah," said Senator Smythe. What a faux pas. He at least had the grace to seem remorseful for cracking a joke. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—"

Daphne waved him off. "Don’t worry about it," she said, buttoning up her blouse. "You couldn’t have known. And besides, it was a reasonable assumption to make. I get it. I do know when to make work wait, though. But I never make family wait."

Cassie was still struggling to put her heels back on when Daphne grabbed the shoes and shoved them into her sister’s chest to carry. "See you later, Luke," she said, waving over her shoulder. "I promise you won’t regret talking to our master."

---

As soon as they were out of the senator’s room, Daphne smacked the back of Cassie’s head. It was playful. Fond. Familiar. No one watching would think it weird. At least, not in this day and age. And thank the gods for that, because had they lived in another age, Daphne was sure the senator would have taken the two of them to some run-down motel rather than a rather upscale establishment.

The two women made their way to the closest fire exit. The whole way there, Daphne paid close attention to the placement of the surveillance cameras.

Luckily for the two, there weren’t any cameras in the stairwell. At least, not where they were standing. "Alright," said Daphne, placing a hand on Cassie’s shoulder. "Looks like we’re in the clear."

Cassie grinned and stopped hunching over so much. She pulled the heels on masterfully. Daphne shook her head, "I’m starting to think you suggest this schtick every time because you love being the bimbo sister," she said.

Cassie rolled her eyes as her blond hair turned sleek jet black, starting at the roots and ending at the tips. Her pretty feminine face was replaced with an equally pretty but decidedly more boyish set of features, as her modest bosom seemed to melt away.

"So what if I do, Pollux?" said the man who had been Cassie, as his clothes melted into a more casual shirt and jeans. "You gonna do anything about it, babe?" he said, with a smirk.

Daphne felt the transformation take root in her own body. The weight seemed to lift from her chest as she took on a decidedly male form once again. "I should fuck your brains out, teach you a lesson," said Pollux, as he reached into his pants and grabbed at his cock. He had to admit, there had been something great about topping a guy while he had a cunt between his legs, but he still preferred using the real thing.

Castor leaned into Pollux’s shoulder as the two of them descended the stairs. "Is that a promise?"

"You bet your ass it is," said Pollux, with a grin. "Though that will probably have to wait for later. I’m gonna call Marcus and let him know that the mission was a success. It’s not like we need to tell him where the Senator sits every time he takes the train back to Tranquility."

---

Lord Thaz didn’t relinquish his hold on Corey’s astral form easily. Not when the disruption came before the appointed time. But he reluctantly allowed Corey to return to his body to deal with whatever was going on in Marcus’ home.

Having spent the better part of the last few hours as a condom stretched impossibly taut over a demon lord’s enormous cock—and at times over both of them—and as an undifferentiated mass of human flesh whenever he wasn’t, it took a while for Corey to understand that he not only had a brain again, but also a body.

It was the slap that really jolted Corey out of his stupor. He opened his eyes and saw that Castor was sitting on top of him, eyes watering. Corey touched the stinging handprint that Castor had left on his cheek and said, "C-Castor? What’s wrong?"

It was Pollux who answered him. Castor seemed a bit too distraught to do so. Corey looked over to the side as Pollux approached the bed to show a video playing on the screen of his phone. "What’s this?" said Corey.

"Just watch," said Pollux. "I’ll explain why this is bad, later."

Corey had watched Commonwealth News Central enough times to know the brief "breaking news" jingle by heart. Every moment that passed in uncertainty was making him nervous. "This is Sharon Saunders, with breaking news from Commonwealth News Central. One of Selene City’s contragrav trains is now stopped in its tracks following what was reportedly a devastating attack by one of the Hall of Heroes’ most decorated heroes. We’re going now to Rachel Robbins on the scene."

A hero attack. Corey was even more concerned now, considering the context that he was receiving this news. "Thanks, Sharon. It is chaos on the scene here just outside of Raleigh station in Tranquility as the 5:30 train has been stuck for the better part of an hour while emergency responders make sure that everyone is accounted for."

"Is anyone hurt?" said Sharon.

"The authorities are still trying to account for everyone, but apart from a few scratches and light singeing, it doesn’t look like anyone has been seriously injured. Even though the property damage is quite severe, it looks like there were relatively few casualties." said Rachel.

Sharon sighed in relief. She picked up the papers on the desk in front of her and continued. "What makes this incident noteworthy is that eyewitnesses are claiming that The Centurion, one of the most respected heroes of the Hall of Heroes, is behind the attack that forced the 5:30 train to cease operations. Is there any truth to this?"

"Yes, Sharon," said Rachel. "At first, it was just speculation, but the authorities have reviewed security footage of the attack and confirmed with the Hall of Heroes that indeed, the individual seen flying toward the train before the attack and the flying away from the train after the attack is, in fact, none other than The Centurion."

"Have the authorities managed to figure out what might have motivated this attack?" said Sharon.

Rachel shook her head. "No, Sharon, and at this time they are unwilling to speculate."

"A seemingly unmotivated attack by a well-known and well-loved hero that leads to large amounts of property damage but surprisingly little in terms of human casualties seems to fit the rather distinctive pattern of attacks carried out on Imperious’ orders. Are the authorities considering the possibility that Imperious has moved on from Seaside City in order to stir up trouble in Selene City?" said Sharon.

The moment that Corey heard that, he felt a twinge of relief. It was short-lived. He doubted that Castor would be so distressed if The Centurion was one of Marcus’ fallen heroes.

"As I said, Sharon, the authorities aren’t willing to speculate on the matter at the moment, and for now the Hall of Heroes has declined to comment," said Rachel. "But police chief Hal Richardson did state that the citizens should rest easy knowing that every possibility is being considered."

Corey looked at Pollux. Castor had collapsed onto his chest, crying softly. He could feel the teardrops falling on his skin. "Alright. Explain," he said, feeling a cold knot of dread forming in the pit of his stomach.

"The 5:30 train was the one that Senator Lucas Smythe was taking back to Tranquility today. Master sent us on a mission to secure a meeting between him and the senator. Master was on that train when it was attacked by The Centurion."

Corey’s eyes widened. But if Master was meeting with a senator, it was likely that he was in plainclothes. Even though he was a prominent political figure, Master wouldn’t stand out in a crowd but for being exceptionally handsome. Unless someone had given Master away, the Centurion was unlikely to have attacked Master directly.

"W-What’s the problem?" said Corey. As unlikely as it was that Master was in any real trouble, Corey didn’t like the dark look on Pollux’s face.

"We’ve tried contacting Master," Castor sniffled. "He’s not picking up."

"He might just be caught up with the authorities," said Corey.

"I used the emergency line," said Pollux. "Unless something was horribly wrong, come hell or high water, Master would have answered that call."

Pollux’s phone pinged. A robotic voice filtered through the speaker. "I have what you asked for, Pollux. I’m afraid I don’t have good news to share."

Pollux cursed under his breath. "Alright. Can you send it over, N3M0?" The phone pinged again and a video, crisp but somewhat difficult to parse due to the time, started playing. A red circle was drawn over a fast-moving shadow against the backdrop of the dusk sky, and the image was zoomed in.

"Shit," said Pollux. "The Centurion’s definitely carrying another person as he’s flying away."