Someone pounded on the door. Reed looked up from his book, frowning. He didn't have any appointments. From the aggressive pounding he gathered it must be important. With a sigh, he set aside his book and got up.

Reed opened the door in a mildly irritated motion. The moment the door was completely opened, a young man put a rapier to Reed's neck and pushed him roughly against the wall. "You're under arrest. Hand over your source."

A group of six silver jacketed Fittes agents, not counting the one currently threatening Reed, stood outside the door.

Reed blinked in surprise. He was more confused than nervous. "Excuse me?"

The rapier was pushed harder against Reed's neck, making him wince. The young man leaned in close. "Your source, spirit. Where is it?"

Reed rolled his eyes. "You think I'm going to tell you? You can't even knock politely! Agents these days. Didn't your mother teach you manners?"

The rapier shifted and Reed did his best to not react as a small bit of blood trickled down his neck. The other agents that had been outside started searching the house for Reed's source.

"I dont need to show manners to a ghost," the agent hissed.

"If I were really a ghost, you'd be dead," Reed said calmly. "Yet look at you. Touching the so called spirit. Don't you know ghosts are untouchable?"

The agent was clearly holding himself back from cutting Reed's head clean off. "The government says you're to be destroyed. You and your friends who were recently married. They want to investigate the boy as well, and Zephyr if they can ever find him. They say you're all ghosts."

Reed raised an eyebrow. "If the government told you to jump off a cliff, would you?"

There was no response to this. The agent was fuming now. Just as Reed was starting to wonder if he could get away with saying more, the agent's fist collided hard with the side of his head.

Reed's head struck the wall, blackness threatened to overtake his vision and he sagged against the wall. "Got a good arm," he groaned.

"I'll knock you out completely if I need to," the agent huffed. He kept the tip of his rapier against Reed's neck as he started patting pockets.

Reed didn't try to stop him. He was cornered, and there wasn't a doubt in his mind that if he made any even mildly aggressive move, he'd die. He didn't want that. He suddenly went very pale as his thoughts went to Zip and Venn. They didn't know he had swapped his source for Darrow's nearly identical pen.

He could only hope that one of them was smart enough to guess to check the crypt. He also had to hope Venn wouldn't do anything reckless.

The agent found the pen in Reed's pants pocket. He called for the other agents to come, then pulled out a pair of silver handcuffs. He cuffed Reed's hands behind his back with cold efficiency. The cuffs burned and were painfully tight.

Reed opened his mouth to speak, but the agent punched him in the gut. Reed doubled over with a groan.

"Another word out of you and we take a little longer to get where we're going," the agent snapped.

Reed shut his mouth and let them shove him roughly out the door. He could tell the entire group was trying to get him to stagger or trip completely. He somehow managed to not fall down the few steps outside the door.

Just before he was shoved into the trunk of the car outside, a flash of yellow caught his eye across the street. He resisted the agent pushing him long enough to recognize Zip's curly blonde hair. Zip was watching with an intense gaze. He met Reed's gaze and tilted his head. Reed shook his head and mouthed, 'leave me.'

His resistance earned him another hard punch, this one to the side. When he doubled over in pain, the agents shoved him into the trunk. The trunk door was slammed shut, almost taking off his foot.

Reed stared up through the blackness. He closed his eyes, worry for his friends made him feel sick. He didn't even try to do anything in an attempt to escape. He knew nobody would help him.

Reed had been in a specially designed silver prison in the same building as the furnaces for three days. In those three days, he had been isolated from the outside world. He had no idea if Venn, Brielle, and little Giovanni had returned, if Zip had been caught, or if he really was going to be thrown into the Fittes furnaces.

Someone was unlocking the door, drawing Reed's attention away from the clock. Three large, strong looking men came through the now open door. Reed stood, watching them in mild amusement. As if he could fight off two men like this without a rapier. He could hold out for a time, sure, but he couldn't best them. Three was overkill.

Reed let them put the handcuffs on him, grateful they didn't tighten it as far as the agent had. "Do I die today?" he asked, surprised at how calm he sounded. Maybe it was the knowledge that his source was still safe.

The man on his right nodded. "Yes. You die tonight."

Reed was surprised at the regretful tone in the man's voice. He glanced around at the other two, who were glaring at him. His eyes went back to the first man. He was older than the others, flecks of gray starting to appear in his brown hair. His eyes were sad. This man was old enough to have a child close to Reed's age.

From the distant look of regret in the man's eyes, Reed guessed he did. Reed gave him a small smile. "Thank you."

The man looked confused by the thanks, but he took Reed's arm and guided him out the door. None of the group said anything as they walked.

Though Reed was afraid for himself, he did his best to hide it. His real concern, and the cause for the nausea making his stomach do flips, was Zip. Zip was smart and not nearly as reckless as Venn, but he still came up with plans that could have serious consequences.

One of the men pushed open a set of iron doors and a blast of heat rushed at them. The men didn't seem more than mildly uncomfortable, but Reed wilted. He could feel the heat sapping his strength. He wanted a drink of water, but knew he wouldn't get one.

The small group walked down the iron walkway quickly. Reed made it half way before the men needed to drag him, panting and exhausted, the rest of the way. At the end of the walkway, the railing ended. It opened straight out above a roaring fire. One silver jacketed Fittes agent stood there. Reed couldn't see his face.

Reed was dropped at the edge of the walkway. He fell to his knees and looked up. Despite the heat, icy fear filled him. Above him was a viewing box filled with reporters, and someone else. A short figure stood nearest the glass, dressed all in black. A hood hid their face from the people around them, but the tuft of corkscrew blonde curls that Reed saw told him exactly who it was. Zip.

The agent was saying something, but Reed couldn't bring himself to listen. He looked at the walls, the ceiling, the three men who had brought him here, anywhere but the fire below. Eventually, his eyes fell on Zip again.

Zip had one hand against the glass. His blue eyes filled with a confused mix of emotions. Sadness, concern, and... was that guilt? Why would he feel guilty?

Reed didn't know what Zip saw in his eyes, but he was sure he could see straight through to the fear Reed was trying to hide. He wished he could tell Zip 'I'll be fine! You won't be able to see me, but my source is in Darrow's pillar!' But he couldn't let anyone know that the source Reed held in his pocket wasnt his.

With a start, Reed recognized the person standing close to Zip. She was taller, not that it was hard to be taller than Zip, with long black hair and olive green eyes. She watched with an emotionless expression that tore at Reed's heart. Andrea, the love of his life. The beautiful woman who had dumped him just as he was about to propose.

The agent finished whatever dramatic speech he had been giving. He grabbed Reed's arm and hauled him up. "Into the fire," he ordered.

Reed didn't move. He wasn't about to jump into a fire. "No."

The agent paused. Reed turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow. "What you expected me to be eager for death? I like life."

The agent bit his lip. He was younger than Reed had originally thought. Maybe sixteen. Unlike most Fittes agents, he seemed to have a heart. At least, he hesitated before giving Reed a hard shove.

Despite himself, Reed tried to catch his balance without success. He fell forward, tumbling down toward the fire.

Just before he hit the bottom, and before his eyes were filled with flickering flames, he saw Zip turn away from the window with one hand at his belt.