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  “The guy’s in a bad way, the woman’s doing all right but scared,” said Mike. All Brian could do was nod, eyes widening. Barrett looked between them. “How do you know what condition they’re in, Bri?”

  “How... how the hell did you know what I was going to say?” Brian replied. Mike only shrugged and nodded at the door. Brian blinked, then realized he was the one holding the handle, and opened it.

  “What was that?” squealed a woman’s voice as the door opened, letting even more smoke in. The windows were too small and high up for them to escape, but had been propped open, the woman thinking that she was letting fresh air in, but in reality it was pulling just as much smoke under the door and into the bathroom as it was letting fresh air in. The man was badly burned and trembled, semi-conscious, in shock, and couldn’t have possibly made it out of the second-story window anyway.

  Michael was through the door first, realizing that they were fully visible again based on the woman’s terrified screams. Muscular body coated in smoke and ash, with dark clothing and black wings, he appeared the perfect image of the angel of death. He put his hands up and tried to calm her.

  “Hannah... it’s all right. We’ll get you both out of here,” he said in a gentle voice, as gentle as possible over the roar of the chaos just outside the walls. His brothers followed, and all the woman could do was stare and whimper at them, sure she was hallucinating and about to die. She couldn’t even bring herself to ask how he knew her name.

  Brian approached slowly with a little smile, then knelt next to the injured man. He gently laid his hands on the shaking figure, which almost immediately began to calm, the burns starting to disappear. Barrett shivered, watching for a moment and feeling a bit of the energy his brother was working with, then cleared his head and looked for a way to get them out.

  “I don’t like that noise,” said Mike. Barrett was focused on the windows and ignored him. “Hey,” said Mike, elbowing his older brother, “I think the wall...”

  The wall separating them from the fire suddenly lurched inward several feet with a sickening groaning crunch. Brian’s eyes widened in alarm, and he took the man he’d just healed in his arms.

  “We have to get them out of...”

  But before he could finish, everything started to go. Mike wrapped himself around Hannah protectively, wings as a shield, and hoped it would be enough, then the wall and the section of ceiling it was helping to hold up finally gave way.

  They could feel the pressure wave from the wall of tile and plaster and metal and wood caving in on them, flaming debris raining down and a gust of smoke and fire rushing into the room. But then... nothing happened to them. They were fine. All around them was fire and chaos and what should have been death, but they weren’t touched.

  Brian looked around, bewildered, and realized that part of the wall was going right through him. Or, rather, he was going through the wall, and so was the man in his arms. Without another thought, he pushed off sideways and flew with him straight through the outside wall and into the fresh air, landing lightly on the ground. He also didn’t question how he was able to carry a man much heavier than himself.

  Mike had seen what Brian had done, and it only took him a moment to realize what it meant. He did the same with Hannah, landing next to his brother, shaking the ashes out of his feathers.

  “Christ, where’s Bear...?”

  They looked up toward the wall they’d just come through, even the two stunned people with them looking up where they were looking reflexively, not even sure what they were supposed to be seeing.

  “Bear? BARRETT...?” Brian called out, getting agitated.

  I’m fine, hold on...

  Mike and Brian looked at each other, unsure of what they’d just heard, then back up at the building. Their brother appeared through the wall a few feet from where they had, and landed next to them as well. He tried to wipe soot out of his eyes, but his hands were so covered in dust and smoke and ash that he only succeeded in making his face a dirty mess. Mike pulled out a handkerchief from his back pocket.

  “Here...” He started to gently wipe at his brother’s eyes but Barrett, still agitated, pulled away, taking the bit of cloth and doing it himself. Mike sighed, then turned to the people they’d rescued, who were still frozen in shock at everything that had just happened. Brian was looking carefully at them, making sure they were physically all right.

  “Okay, you’re safe now,” Mike said to them, putting his hands on their shoulders to try and get their attention. “Head for the front of the building, around this side, and you should be all right.”

  “But you...” began Hannah. Mike shook his head.

  “Hurry up, the place is falling apart. Go.”

  Reluctantly, and looking over their shoulders frequently, the two people finally skirted the building and disappeared around the corner. Brian let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Barrett watched them from under his eyebrows, still wiping the junk off his face with the borrowed handkerchief.

  “That was...” started Brian, a grin blossoming on his face.

  “What the hell was that?” snapped Mike, rounding on his older brother. “Why would you do that?”

  “Do what?” said Barrett, handing back the cloth. Mike stared at him like he was crazy, then found his tongue.

  “Just about get us killed, that’s what! ‘You go that way, I’ll go some other way...’ Dude, you can’t just go ordering us around any more. Especially when you don’t know what you’re doing.”

  “Oh, and you did?” said Barrett, staring at him coldly. “I didn’t hear you coming up with anything better, Lieutenant.”

  Mike’s eyes darkened with anger at the low blow and he leaned in. “I didn’t have a chance, because you were too busy playing ‘big brother who knows better.’ Goddammit, Barrett, if we’re gonna do stuff like this, we have to be a team!”

  Barrett snorted a little and turned to look up at the building. Mike, wings flaring a little with agitation, grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. Barrett shoved Mike off, wings opening.

  “Lay off. I got us there and out, didn’t I?”

  Mike leaned in, yelling. “Being a leader doesn’t mean ordering people around like a dick! I probably do have better tactical knowledge for stuff like this. Brian’s the healer, it’s easy for him, so I let him handle that just now. You know how to take care of people and lead, when you’re not being an ass about it. Bear... you’re usually three steps ahead. You’re the planner. But this time, you blew it.”

  Barrett turned away from them again, arms crossed, thinking. Only this time, they could somewhat feel what he was thinking. Anger, regret and a little fear. Brian finally spoke up quietly.

  “I want to work together with my brothers. We’re all we have. And... this is all so new. We’ll figure it out, okay...?”

  After a minute of silence, Barrett sighed heavily and turned back around. “I was pissed off. I wasn’t thinking clearly, and I’m sorry.” He still couldn’t quite meet Mike’s eyes and his lips were still pressed together with irritation. Mike went over and laid a hand on his big brother’s shoulder, gently this time.

  “It’s okay. Brian’s right. We’re still learning. We’ll get it figured out.”

  “You guys are right,” Barrett said softly, nodding, calming down some. Brian moved over and lightly stroked his back.

  “You really are the leader, Bear. You’ve always done that for us. Okay? But maybe...”

  “Maybe I shouldn't just order you around,” Barrett muttered with another sigh. “I’m not great in pressure situations like that. And that phone call...”

  “Let me help you with the emergency stuff,” said Mike. “Especially if the ex-wife from hell is on the phone.” He found himself petting his older brother’s feathers soothingly, and it did seem to be helping. Like petting a therapy dog, it was helping both the dog and the patient.

  Brian found his smile again. “We should probably get out of here,” he said gently. Hi
s brothers nodded and the three of them made sure they were invisible, then headed skyward.

  “My place,” said Mike. “We can at least get cleaned up and have some tea.” The others nodded in agreement, and soon they actually arrived at their original destination, putting their wings away again. Brian went to sit on the couch, but Barrett steered him away.

  “White couch and you being covered in soot don’t mix.”

  Brian winced a little. “Oh. Right. Sorry.” He plunked himself down in a brown leather recliner instead and looked around, giving Barrett first shot at the bathroom, which he took gladly.

  Mike went in and made the tea, as promised, having little else to offer them. He heard the shower go on, guessed at who was in there, and smiled softly. It felt good to have them all at his place, even if the apartment was new to him as well. He hadn’t spent more than a few hours there himself, but he was used to shifting gears quickly and calling unfamiliar places home.

  But this was a real home. Safe, with furniture and a little bit of food in the cabinets and a lot of tea. He chuckled at the ridiculously large selection and picked out what he thought they would like best. Decaf, after what they’d been through.

  Barrett came out, toweling off his hair, dressed in some pajamas that were a close enough fit to be usable. “Laundry?”

  Mike nodded. “Yeah, let’s make a pile. I wonder how much of this stuff is salvageable? Rips and burn holes...”

  “Good day’s work,” said Brian, chuckling. “Half my shirts have rips and burn holes in ‘em anyway from my job.” He took the offered tea, made just the way he liked, and took a blissful sip. “Hm. I guess I mean my other job.”

  “Yeah. Crap. How is this going to work?” pondered Mike, sitting on the heavy wooden coffee table. “I’m supposed to be back in there... that damn job... at oh-nine-hundred Monday. I can’t do it. I couldn’t do it for a few hours, let alone the rest of my life. I can’t.” He scrubbed his fingers through his hair and watched little pieces of debris fall into his lap, followed by a drifty cloud of dust and fine ash. Barrett sat on the sofa with his tea, sipping thoughtfully.

  “Easy for me,” said Brian. “I make my own hours and don’t have any boss but me. I mean, people want their jobs done in a timely manner, of course. And the more I get done, the more money I make, but...” He merely shrugged and finished his tea. Mike sighed unhappily.

  “You could... you could work for me.” said Barrett softly. “If you don’t mind having a pushy dick for a boss.” Mike looked up at him, surprised.

  “Work for you... but I don’t know the first thing about imports or whatever.”

  “Not hard,” said Barrett. “On the job training. I’ll show you what to do.”

  For a long time Mike just looked at him, not quite believing that things had changed so fast. Not quite believing that he could just walk away from the gray job full of suck for the chance to work with his brother doing something that actually sounded interesting. Interesting and not military for once. But the longer he sat there looking at Barrett, the more he let himself believe it. Any remaining tension slowly drained from him as his expression changed to one of hope. Barrett smiled softly and squeezed his brother’s shoulder.

  “Your turn in the shower.”

  Mike found himself smiling back. “Nah. Brian’s turn.”

  “Age before beauty,” said their youngest with a snicker.

  “Smartasses before... non-smartasses.” Mike said, smirking. “Get in there, and don’t use up all the hot water.”

  Brian grinned brightly. They all knew Mike was usually the biggest smartass of them, so he took it as a compliment. He closed the bathroom door and relished the spacious shower, the water hotter than he kept his own, the soap a new handmade bar with a lemongrass scent, the towels big and fluffy and white and soft. Perfect.

  Barrett and Mike sat together in silence, thinking, enjoying each others’ company. They were both thinking about the future, but from slightly different angles. Mike felt like everything was opening up wide, while Barrett was looking at how difficult it was going to be to run his company.

  “What if...” they both said at the same time, then chuckled softly.

  “What if a... call comes in the middle of something important?” said Barrett. “It’s not like I can ignore that.” Mike nodded, knowing what he meant.

  “We just gotta go. All there is to it. Like the Bat Signal,” he said with a chuckle.

  Barrett ran his hands through his still-damp hair. “Christ. Is that what this is? Is it like that, Mike? Secret identities and everything?”

  “Kind of. Looks like.”

  “Christ.” Barrett sighed deeply, pressing his lips together. It would just have to work out, somehow.

  Brian came out in the same grimy clothes, not having anything to choose from in Mike’s closet that wouldn’t make him look like a ten-year-old. He’d done his best to shake the dirt out of them, but they still stank of smoke and sweat. He wrinkled his nose.

  “I’m going home after this.”

  “Don’t blame you,” said Mike, getting up to take his turn in the shower. Barrett looked between them, realizing that at some point they had to be separated again. He swallowed, not liking the feeling of wrongness that came with that realization. Then he realized that his brothers were looking at him and thinking the same thing.

  “How’s this going to work?” he said, looking between them.

  “After that trial by fire, seems like we should be able to...” Mike started, but Brian cut him off with a loud gasp.

  “Trial by... that’s what it was! You guys!” Brian paced around for a second as his brothers blinked at him.

  “Wait, how do you figure...” Barrett’s brow creased, thinking. But Brian connected the dots for them, getting out his phone and showing them the diagram in the glass.

  “Look! The three circles join again in this circle, and then again in this one,” he said, tracing a fingertip the best he could over the tiny image. They squinted at it. Barrett took his phone out and zoomed into the first circle Brian had pointed at, then the second.

  “I don’t get it,” Barrett started to say, but Brian was persistent.

  “Look. The second circle looks like flames, don’t you see it?”

  Mike nodded a little. “Yeah, I think so. But then what’s the first circle?”

  Barrett scrolled back over to the first one. It was pale, with swirls of white and yellow and a bit of blue. He cocked his head at it, this way and that, until finally he made a guess.

  “...Air?”

  “Oh!” exclaimed Brian, commandeering his brother’s phone and scrolling all over the image. “Oh! Yes! First thing we mastered was air, right? And now fire. Our trial by fire. So there’s two more classic elements, water and earth.”

  “Huh,” said Mike with a grunt. “So, why is there only one circle before the black one? Is earth the black one? I thought that was the abyss, or whatever you said.”

  Brian’s brow furrowed. “I’m no expert in this stuff. I’m only going on the little bit I picked up from that old book. But the next circle is blue.”

  “So... we’re supposed to do something with water? The ocean, maybe?” Barrett was at a loss. Air hadn’t really been a trial, it had mostly come naturally, but fire did seem like one. Emotions had certainly run high and hot. He had never really liked the ocean – large waves unnerved him – and he didn’t know if he wanted to know what was supposed to be coming up for them next.

  “At least we kind of have some sense of what to expect,” said Mike, almost as if reading his brother’s thoughts. “I’d rather be a little prepared than go into it blind.”

  “Regular boy scout,” said Barrett in an unreadable tone. Mike shot him a look and Barrett suddenly became very interested in his empty mug. He got up and took it into the kitchen, then looked around. His sense of style was all over the apartment, he was realizing more and more. Mike hadn’t said anything, but then maybe he didn’t mind. He was probably t
hrilled to have anything that wasn’t painted desert camo and didn’t come with random mortar attacks. But the clean lines and dark wood and brushed metal... they were starting to feel sterile, even in Barrett’s own condo. Or maybe because of the condo.

  “Earth to Barrett,” said Brian’s voice from the other room.

  “What...?”

  Brian came in and leaned on the doorframe. “I asked if you wanted to get some lunch. I really want some fresh clothes, and there’s that waffle place...”

  Mike closed the bathroom door and they could hear the shower water go on. They looked at each other and smiled softly, both of them having been there a few minutes previous and knowing how good the hot water and lemongrass soap felt, washing away the grime from what they’d just done.

  Brian grinned. “Waffles? They make savory ones. And waffle sandwiches.”

  Chuckling softly, Barrett nodded. “All right. Anywhere with you.” He drew his brother into a hug, despite the smoke-filled gritty clothing, and held him tight. He almost felt as if something was slowly clicking into place, the more time he spent with them. The closer they were, the more close they were becoming. The concept was both comforting and troubling.

  “One problem, though,” said Barrett. “I don’t have any clean clothes either.”

  Brian sighed, nodding. “This is kind of turning into a pain in the ass,” he said with a little crooked smile.

  “Well, it's not like I’ll be making a habit of it. I’ve got a meeting Monday morning at ten, and if Mike’s going to join the crew, there’s paperwork and all that crap to deal with. I can’t be flying around rescuing cats from trees or something. I’ve got a company to run.” Some part of Barrett knew that if he felt called again, he wouldn’t be able to resist it, but the rest of him was trying to hold onto what little normalcy remained in his life.

  “Yeah...” said Brian softly, turning to look out a window as they waited for Mike to finish. Soon enough he came out in fresh clothes, scrubbing at his hair.