A Month Later, Inside Chase's Camper

*

Chase glared at her. "We haven't spoken in a year? I need to drive home."

Zill handed him a check. "Our lawyer recovered half our funds. I lied that you were living in the Ivy Kingdom for the past couple of years. I'm here to give you your cut, and I need your help."

"Whatever you're selling, count me out," Chase said. "Yoleta knows where I am, and I turned myself in six months ago."

Their answering machine flickered on. "Hey, it's Colonel Ghoul Flint."

Zill kicked the machine and waved documents in the air. "These medical files are more important."

Chase glared at her. "I refuse to read them."

She thumbed through the documents and showed the papers to her ex-husband. "Grew-Ella's obstetrician is old-fashioned, and everything has a paper trail."

"You're not touching her or her kids!"

"Look, the real issue is my sister's imperfections. Grew-Ella has accidentally become the face of the revolution, and she has to die for me to save the kingdom. Vex is losing power, and the Kill Home is going to execute Sean-Mack and then shut down. With my sister dead, the revolution dies with her."

"But what about her babies? You aren't going to hurt them, are you?" Chase asked.

Zill didn't answer at first, but she smiled and winked. "You can keep them if you want. Vex's supporters are starting a war. My sister's babies don't matter. One of her demons might inherit her condition."

Colonel Ghoul Flint broke through the side door of the camper with dozens of guards.

"Who told you where we were?" Zill asked.

"Actually, I called him," Chase said.

"You what?" Zill hit him.

Flint pulled her arm away. "We're going through the main event, and not only is my mind clearer, I recognize and remember more. Chase didn't call me in the first timeline, but he still needs to come with us."

"But I want to go home to my little girl. She needs me."

"You're becoming like them. Soft-hearted for an evil workhouse brat." She lunged toward Chase.

Two of Ghoul Flint's guards pulled her back.

Flint glanced at his watch. "Time is so close to the main event that I'm even remembering enough that I can show you what will happen, and the watch feels you're ready to see everything. Temporal watches house non-corporal life-forms."

"She ran away, and your lies can't stop me," Zill said.

Ida flickered for a moment in the reflection of his camper window. She crawled out and formed into humanoid flesh. Moths emerged from her mouth, flying toward Zill. "Flint is trying to save your worthless life."

Flint's phone rang. "Yoleta, yes, we caught her. What is wrong?"

"I'll escape," Zill said.

"But will you escape your doom?" Moths and beetles flew out of Ida's eyes.

"Ida, stop doing that. I'm on the phone." Flint pressed his phone to his mouth and spoke to Yoleta again. "Please hurry."

"I'm only teasing them with my magic," Ida said.

"Half the workhouse board is claiming Vex and Zill are their new leaders."

"Yes, but that is in a month, and before Zill kills for..." Flint paused.

"Time travel messed it up. I sent Odin and Avery-Joy to my bunker. The workhouse board has gone to war."

"Meet us on my ship when you can." Flint hung up and touched Chase and Zill.

They vanished.

Yoleta's Castle

*

Avery-Joy and Odin crawled into Yoleta's bunker under her basement and firing range and slammed the door behind them.

Young and former board members sat on benches welded on the left side. They stared at metal cabinets and two 3D food and med printers.

Other than two TVs and three lace pillows, the industrial bunker was not decorated for comfort. Flickering lights on chains dangled overhead.

Board members were startled awake by the muffled sounds of tanks ramming into one another.

Dot and Ruby emerged from the women's bathroom.

"What is happening?" Dot asked. "Where is Snake Boy? You were supposed to come with him."

Avery-Joy hugged her. "He is fine. Junior took everyone in your building to the university with additional board members. He is the dean."

"How do you know?" Dot asked.

Avery-Joy turned on one of the TVs, and the news looped a story showing Junior running from laser fire. He punched Vex across the jaw, hopped into a metal-plated bus, and drove toward the workhouse district.

"Why is he making himself a target?" a board member asked.

"Junior is a survivor, but if he dies, I'll cry for months because he's my family," Dot said.

Odin raised an eyebrow. "He rammed through the barricades to rescue workhouse children. If he makes it, he'll be heading to Karen's house. The new army is protecting her street, and Junior and the children should be safe."

A board member started screaming and crying. "He'll survive, but we'll die in a heap."

"I'm pretty sure I was placed here because I'm medical staff." Ruby flapped her hand in a comforting motion.

"You're also here because you're Dot's wife."

"Why am I so important?" Dot asked.

"You're taking over Rodrick's position on the board until we have real elections. He's protecting the tent villages, but he is also resigning." Avery-Joy hugged her.

"But why?" Dot stepped back but continued talking. "The reason Rodrick never admitted he was my and Quig's father was to protect us from turning into monsters."

"Rodrick told me. Yoleta doesn't know he is your dad, but you had a relative who quit, and it's either you or one of your cousins by marriage," Avery-Joy said.

"No, she is obsessed with making jokes about selling other people's organs," Dot said. "She is anti-cancel culture, but her sense of humor is dark."

Odin smiled. "It'll be for a couple of months, so you have the power to vote on marriage laws."

Ruby stimmed. "You should take the job. If we have enough votes, we could remove status from marriage laws."

"Do you think I could make a difference? I only have one vote," Dot said.

"I'd vote with you," another board member said.

Avery-Joy stood up. "Squad members are fighting-the new army and other squad members."

"I'm hungry." Ruby tapped her foot.

"We'll eat whatever sludge comes out of the 3D food printer," Dot said.

Avery-Joy opened a refrigerator cabinet, and she removed maple nut bars, mini-bagel sandwiches, and bottled water. She handed them out. "We have enough food to last three weeks without having to use those disgusting printers, but I hope the fighting won't last that long."

"But they're killers," Dot said blankly.

"Yoleta froze their assets. You can't fight without supplies." Avery-Joy ate her food.

A board member picked at his tiny bagel. "If they find us, I'm not telling them where my unacceptable wife is hiding."

"All of your voting rights will be reinstated." Odin unwrapped his candy bar, his teeth sinking into the maple cream.

Avery-Joy snuggled next to Odin. "Since you'll be the ones not in the workhouse prison, or dead when this siege ends, we're going to form a real government. Forget beauty laws."

Odin reached for Avery-Joy's fingers. "This is terrible timing, but would you marry me?" he asked.

"Yes, I will. You're a wonderful father, and I love you. And I never thought I'd be in love again." She kissed him.

Dot ran up to them. "Do you two wish to get married now? If I'm a board member, we could have a wedding; right here. A little joy might keep our minds off the war."

"I love that idea," Odin said.

"But, Dot, I don't want to hurt you because Cutter died."

Dot squeezed her hand. "My brother would've been furious if I didn't offer."

Yoleta's voice crackled through the speakers. "My guards plan to pick you up after midnight."

"That gives us plenty of time to throw a wedding together. I have become an expert at instant weddings." Dot ran to the other side of the bunker and hurried back with an overnight bag. She removed Ruby's wedding dress. "I know we were supposed to pack practical things, but my baby's dress means so much to me."

Avery-Joy entered the bathroom with the dress and emerged from it.

Dot and Ruby located loose construction paper in the food cabinet and made paper roses. They strung the roses across the ceiling.

The bunker seemed different, transformed into a little enchanted hideaway, safe and beautiful.

Other board members joined in, one sang an aria, and others used their burner phones to take pictures.

Dot played reverend and then documented the wedding.

Avery-Joy kissed Odin.

"I feel sad Betsy couldn't make it," Avery-Joy said.

Odin twirled her around. "She'll be happy because she loves you."