11: An Unexplained Anomaly

The woman in the red dress bolted upright, amber eyes scanning for danger. She recalled the events that led them here- that stupid kid driving his sword into a piece of machinery that bent the laws of reality- and a flame erupted in her right hand along with a burst of anger. She forced the anger down, controlling herself and extinguishing the flame.

She reminded herself that that blonde idiot had failed, that they were still alive despite what he thought he had accomplished. It would be a major setback for their benefactors, but not for her. All she needed to do was figure out how to get back to Vale. Preferably quietly, and with a good explanation for their absence.

An orange-haired man in a now quite dirty and battered white coat stirred beside her. He grabbed a black cane from its position on the ground beside him and used it to get up. The man paused for a moment before shifting the cane and poking a woman with pink and brown hair sprawled next to him.

"Well, this is certainly a moment of triumph, isn't it?" Roman Torchwick snarked, pointing his cane accusingly at the woman in the red dress. He motioned to their surroundings. "Where the fuck are we?"

"If I knew, this time I would tell you," Cinder Fall replied curtly. She glanced around briefly before finding the people she was looking for, a grey-haired young man and a green-haired young woman. They were tangled awkwardly with each other in the grass. "Mercury, Emerald. Get up."

"Wha..." Mercury, the young man in grey, mumbled drowsily.

"Get off me!" The green-haired woman pushed him off, stumbling upright.

Confident that her subordinates were at least awake enough to function, Cinder surveyed their surroundings again. They were standing on the edge of a road, four lanes with a centre turn lane down the middle. There were no sidewalks with only thin shoulders, gravel edging, and a grassy ditch on each side. A thin fence separated the road from what looked like farms on either side, with a few drab buildings visible in the distance. She guessed it was evening, with the sun already mostly set, though she could be confusing it for the morning.

"We hitchhike," she concluded after a moment.

Roman laughed mirthlessly. "That's your brilliant plan? Hitchhike?"

"Would you prefer we simply steal a vehicle?"

He almost answered in the affirmative before thinking about the woman's logic. They didn't actually know where they were, so they might not get very far. There was, however, something the brilliant planner was missing. "Have you forgotten that I am one of the most wanted men in Vale?"

"In Vale. If they recognize us... well, we'll just make sure they don't remember us, won't we?" She motioned to her minions, who nodded.

"I think you and I have very different definitions of hitchhiking," Roman shot back.

"It will be dark soon. I think we'd both rather be somewhere else when that happens. We clearly aren't inside the safe parts of any of the Kingdoms." Cinder turned and nodded to Mercury, who stepped out into the roadway.

The first vehicle to appear was a small, boxy blue truck that reeked of chemicals. The driver, a woman with dirty blonde hair, rolled down the window and shouted, "What the fuck?"

"Can we get a ride to the next town?" Emerald asked sweetly.

"You want a ride to Fritztown, call a fucking cab!" the woman replied angrily in accented Valic. She cranked the steering wheel hard to the right and hit the accelerator, barely missing Emerald as she tore down the highway.

"Brilliant plan," Roman snarked from his position beside the road. "You made a great impression, kid."

Emerald glared at him. "Well, maybe your lapdog can try!"

"First of all, Neo is my sidekick, not my lapdog. Secondly-" He was interrupted by Neo tugging on his sleeve and pointing to the road. "Fine. Let the mute call for a ride."

Neo pouted in reply.

"You were asking for it."

She rolled her eyes before exchanging places with Emerald on the roadway. She stood there, parasol daintily held in one hand, before a green van appeared a minute later.

The driver pulled over, emergency flashers blinking as the vehicle pulled to a stop next to the group of criminals. The driver's side window rolled down, revealing a young woman with light brown hair and a round face. She smiled at Neo, blinking as she noticed the rest of the group. "Hey. You heading to Austin?"

"Let me handle this," Roman said quietly to Cinder. He didn't wait for her to argue, instead sauntering up to the van with a winning smile on his face.

Thinking that none of them had heard her, the woman repeated, "You headed to Austin? I can give you a ride if you need it."

"That would be much appreciated," Roman told her with a slight bow. He had no idea where Austin was, of course, but it had to be better than here. Hopefully.

"Got the character spot-on, I see," the driver replied with a laugh. She reached down and unlocked the doors. "Alright, climb in the other side."

Roman walked around the front of the vehicle, pulling open the passenger side door and taking a seat beside the driver. Cinder and Neo took the second row of seats, and Mercury and Emerald squeezed into the back of the vehicle.

"You're so lucky," she told them. "Something went wrong with the engine in Dad's car so I had to borrow the minivan instead. Still gonna kill me for this, though."

Roman unconsciously wrinkled his nose. What was that smell? Industrial chemicals?

The young woman didn't notice. She put the vehicle in gear and pulled back onto the road, accelerating to the 70 mph speed limit. She announced to nobody in particular, "Hi. I'm Sarah."

Roman hesitated before answering. They may not be in Vale anymore, but his real name was probably still recognizable. "Tangelo. Tangelo Coleman. My partner in the pink and brown is... Lavender."

"Phoenix," Cinder replied absentmindedly. Before her subordinates could say anything stupid, she added, "The ones in the back are Chloe and Grayson."

"I actually live in Austin; I went out to Fredericksburg to visit some of my friends. I didn't think I'd see any cosplayers out here, but I guess 'tis the season." She stopped suddenly. "Sorry, I'm rambling. What's your story? Heading out to RTX, I guess, but how'd you end up beat to shit on the side of the highway?"

"It's a long story," Roman dodged. He had no idea where Austin or Fredericksburg were, where they were, or where this young woman came from. His experience was that if you didn't know enough to lie convincingly, the best thing to do was to say as little as possible until you could.

"Where'd you come from?" Sarah pressed, trying to start conversation again.

"Vacuo," he answered.

To his surprise, she laughed. "No, seriously, where are you from?"

"Elmcrest." When you had to give an answer, a noncommittal one was best. Elmcrest was a neighbourhood in Vacuo, but also an upscale apartment complex in Vale and a village just outside of Atlas.

"Is that in California?"

California didn't ring any bells, but letting the mark come up with their own story was a perfectly valid strategy. "How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess. Just sounds kind of California-ish," Sarah answered with a slight shrug. "Damn, you really hitchhiked all the way from California?"

"It seemed like a reasonable plan at the time," Cinder/Phoenix said from behind them.

"Couldn't afford to fly?" Sarah guessed.

He shrugged in an exaggerated way. "Couldn't afford to fly."

Their driver was silent for a few moments before turning to Roman again. "You look kind of beat up, if you don't mind me saying. Did the last driver kick you out or something?"

He smiled thinly. "Something like that. To be honest, I think he was a little... insane. Or a lot insane."

"I guess that's the risk. Well, looks like another mile to Stonewall," Sarah told them. "I've got to stop for gas. It'd be great if you could chip in, but, well, I'm not gonna boot you out if you don't."

"That's very generous of you," Roman replied with a winning smile. Ahead, they could see the lights of a small town coming up.

He may have been a thief, but Roman Torchwick was not stupid. There was something really strange about the town, namely that it wasn't fortified in the slightest. The highway seemed to run straight through the town, which was just a small collection of buildings with no visible walls or watch towers. They couldn't be inside any of the Kingdoms- he would have recognized it if they were. They had to be in the outskirts- wild lands infested with Grimm technically inside the de jure boundaries of the Kingdoms- but there was literally nothing protecting this town.

He refrained from commenting, but heard one of the shit kids in the back mutter something about the town being a target.

"Target for what? Terrorists?" Sarah said with a laugh, having overheard the same thing he did. "Stonewall's like... five hundred people or something." She turned left across the empty highway, pulling into what looked like a fuelling station.

"Chevron," Cinder read quietly.

"Yeah, it's the only gas station in this town. Should've filled up before I left. Look at the prices." Sarah motioned to the sign with one hand, putting the vehicle into park and shutting off the ignition with the other.

Cinder examined the sign. It listed prices for "regular" and "diesel". She assumed "regular" meant the fire dust blend typically used for powering vehicles, but had no idea what "diesel" was. A local colloquialism for lightning dust, perhaps?

As soon as Sarah opened the door, the Remnans in the vehicle nearly gagged. The smell was somewhere between industrial lubricant and paint thinner, and it was overpoweringly strong.

Cinder immediately threw the door open, and within seconds the whole party was outside the vehicle and heading for the perceived safety of the gas station store.

"Hey Lavender," Sarah called. She had started fuelling as the others fled, prepaying for the fuel with her credit card.

Neo stopped and turned. Everyone else continued into the store and shut the door behind them.

Sarah motioned to the gas station nozzle. "Can you watch this? I gotta call my brother. He's gonna be really excited to meet you guys."

"Lavender" nodded. It was a very reluctant nod, but the other woman didn't seem to notice the reluctance.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

"Lavender" shook her head. If Sarah had been mean about it, the blood would be flying right about now, but she seemed to just be curious, and Roman has specifically told her not to dismember anyone today.

"Staying in character, I suppose?"

"Lavender" shrugged. She honestly had no idea what Sarah was talking about.

"Okay." Sarah stepped away from the gas pumps, fishing her iPhone out of her jeans pocket. She didn't really believe that it would cause the gas station to explode, but better safe than sorry. A quick swipe unlocked it and she dialled the third number on the list. "Brandon, come on, pick up..."

"Sarah?" a teenaged male voice replied after a few moments of delay. "Hey, big sis. Where are you? I think Dad's starting to get a bit worried."

"Of course he is. I had to help Mel out with a few things, last-minute. I just made it to Stonewall. Hey, you'll never guess who I picked up on the highway."

"The ghost of Lyndon B. Johnson?" her brother deadpanned.

"No, silly! One sec." She held her iPhone up, swiping to the camera up. A few taps later, she had a grainy photo of Neo at the gas pump on its way to her brother.

"A Neo cosplayer? Cool. Looks pretty cool, beat up, though. How far did she hitchhike?"

"Well, she didn't say anything, but Angelo said they came from California."

"Angelo... wait, who else did you pick up?" Brandon asked, suddenly concerned.

"All of them!" she replied with a laugh. "They're travelling as a group. Cinder, her two minions, and Angelo is Roman Torchwick. It's pretty awesome!"

There was a pause on the other end, then a response. "Sarah, are you insane?"

She laughed it off. "It's fine. They're cosplayers, not hardened criminals! They just need a ride to RTX."

"That's the kind of logic that gets people raped and murdered," he replied, half-serious. "I'm serious, Sarah. Do you even know who these people are?"

She dismissed that warning, too. "Geez, Brandon, calm down. It's only an hour to Austin. Just wait till you meet them. I'm sure you'll love it."

"Mom and Dad are gonna freak." Brandon reminded her.

"Relax, it's not even the craziest thing I've done."

"That's not a good thing!"

"It's totally a good thing!" Sarah retorted lightly. "See you soon, little bro."

Brandon laughed. "Yeah. See you soon, big sis."

The inside of the gas station seemed familiar enough. A cashier sat half-asleep behind a till flanked by snacks, electronics, and lighters. Shelves were filled with chips, candy, and a few household sundries. Coolers lined the rear of the store, filled with colourful beverages. A small station with coffee pots and a microwave sat beside it. Half of the building was taken up by an old-fashioned diner, but it was closed off with white metal bars.

"God, what are they pumping here?" Roman said, coughing for emphasis as the door slammed shut behind them. "Industrial solvent?"

"I think it's what they're using as fuel," Emerald suggested, shuffling over to the beverage coolers. She opened one of them, pulling out a bright blue bottle. "Mountain Dew... mountain ew."

"Who burns industrial solvent?" Mercury asked. "I mean, isn't that stuff really expensive?"

"Not really," Roman replied. "But if everyone burned it, it would be. Supply and demand, my young and illiterate friend." He picked up a bag of chips and idly tossed it between his gloved hands. "Hence back to my original question. Where are we?"

"Stonewall," Mercury answered. He sidled up beside Emerald and pulled a different bottle out, one that looked vaguely like Schnee Cola.

"Which is where?"

"Well, it's a road in Atlas, I think," he answered. "But this isn't Atlas."

"It doesn't look like we're in any of the Kingdoms," Emerald concluded, mostly serious. "I mean, this place is just weird."

"Yeah, like, I don't recognize any of this stuff," Mercury added. "It all looks familiar, but I've never heard of... Coca-Cola before."

"And if we're not in any of the Kingdoms, again, I ask, where the fuck are we?" Roman waved to their surroundings in emphasis.

"Patience," Cinder interrupted, speaking for the first time since they'd pulled into the gas station. "We will find out in good time. Until then, we remain inconspicuous. The young woman doesn't recognize or suspect us. We can use that to our advantage."

"Our advantage doing what?" Roman snapped. "I suppose you still have some grand scheme in mind?"

"Oh, Roman, so little faith," Cinder replied. "I have always had a grand scheme in mind. This is a minor setback. It changes nothing. We find our way back and continue."

"So, do we steal the car, or let the airhead take us to Austin?" Emerald asked, slipping a chocolate bar into her pocket.

"We exploit her generosity as long as possible," Cinder announced with an air of finality. "We will act when the time to act has come."

"Hey, are you gonna buy something?" the clerk interrupted from behind the till. "Because you're really fucking creeping me out."

Cinder stepped away from the rack of chips and toward the clerk, heels clacking with her strides. She leaned in toward the clerk, fire burning behind her irises and a terrifying smirk on her face. "We're quite done." Quickly, she stood, turned on her heel, and headed for the exit.

The young man blinked, in shock as the odd group disappeared outside. "Man, I really gotta lay off."

"Ready to go?" Sarah called from beside the van. She waved the group over.

"We're ready," Cinder replied. She was the first to climb into the vehicle, taking the seat just behind Sarah again.

Mercury and Emerald went around the other side, returning to their seats in the back of the van. Roman and Neo tried to get into the front seat at the same time, bumping into each other.

"Oh no," Roman told his partner. "I'm taking the front seat. Unlike you, I need legroom."

She pouted, but climbed into the seat behind him without further complaint, pulling the door shut and buckling her seat belt.

The brief exchange had been a ruse. Roman knew exactly what his partner had done; they'd done it many times before. Pretending to fumble with his (once-fabulous) jacket, he quickly read the note Neo had placed in his front pocket. Knows who we should be. thinks us imposters. 1 hr to Austin

"Seatbelts on? Used the washroom if you had to? Ready to go?" Taking their silence for a positive answer, Sarah started the engine, put the van into gear, and sped off into the night.

So... Act II. It's meant to be a sort of return to the concept of Emergence, starring ordinary people running into extraordinary things, though obviously the circumstances are much different this time around. It took longer than expected. I honestly think this is either the best chapter or the worst chapter I've written since Emergence.

Also, I'm sure some of you are wondering by now why the chapter titles often don't match the content of the chapters. It's because the chapter titles are usually decided first, long before the chapters are written.

5 Coloured Walker: Pretty much, actually. Gratuitous CGI and big transforming weapons that make big booms. She's certainly not watching it for the story. The robots thing is ambiguous. World of Remnant implies that Grimm ignore robots, but the opening narration in Volume 1 implies that they don't.

linkthetoaoftime: A lot of fun is one way of putting it...

CalligoMiles: Honestly, I don't use favorites as a rating system at all. I use it more like a way of bookmarking interesting fics.

GreatWyrmGold: I guess those are nouns, not adjectives. It may be possible to live in Remnant's wilds, but there are many factors that are going to cap populations pretty low.

Guest: Remnans are the ones ripping out souls or being attacked by them?

Fallout24: Gavin was supposed to show hidden depths, and I wish I spent more time on developing their relationship. Like many other things in Aliens Among Us, it ended up severely cut down as I realized how big the story was and how little time I had.

Mastermind: What's Undertale? Texas... well, I'm not going to say what, but there will be some events of significance. I'm not going to comment on Yang/Gavin's future, either, other than that things will be complicated.

AMEN PRAISE THEE: Poe's Law in action, folks. Move along, please.

rileasw: I'm going to try to get her in, but no guarantees. I should warn you that this Summer will probably be nothing like canon Summer.

Mr Fizz: If that does become their main goal, I'd expect to see a lot of crash programs and a lot of funding for existing initiatives across the board. I believe that if we really put everything into it, we can largely close the tech gap within a decade or two.

animal56: Actually, I almost did it in that scene, but decided against it about halfway through writing it. We'll see what happens.

Jlargent: Michael Bay, but specifically the 2007 one.

Revolversolid4: Summer will show up soon... ish. The "we're not real" logic has already been discussed and dismissed, and honestly Cinder doesn't seem like the type that would interpret things that way.

Queenfan27: The Nazis would be allies of convenience, at best, though I'm not sure what they could actually offer. Yes, they're horrifying, but there are elements in any government willing to ignore that if they perceive the benefits as being worthwhile. The Soviets were nasty, but not as nasty, and not in such blatant ways. Ideological conversion is a definite possibility, and both sides played the game.

Guest: Pretty much. But this is really appealing to Remnans, especially our huntresses in training.

Sans WHO: Guns might not kill them easily, but the reality is that guns (that is, small arms) don't kill many people in wars and that's been the reality for a long time now. You want to take down a hunter-level team, you don't shoot at them with rifles. You level the entire block on top of them with JDAMs from forty thousand feet. There would be a lot of collateral, and a lot of ordinance expended, and still a lot of bloodshed. I don't think a war like this is a good idea, but I do think it's an interesting idea to explore in fiction.

Guest: I'm not sure about that. Yes, we have a lot more COIN experience than they do, but this would not be a low-intensity conflict. It's two (or more) technologically advanced states with highly organized armies and significant materiel reserves facing off. Vietnam is a poor model for this. World War II is a better model sociopolitically, but I think the closest you're going to get in existing thinking is the classic "Cold War goes hot" scenario.

Assassin4Ever: I enjoyed Bayformers. It's definitely not a shining example of great cinematography, but it was an entertaining movie and better than most as long as you don't think about things too much. I wasn't aware that there was any uninterrupted swearing- though it may be considered stronger where you're from than where it's made. As for the last part, simple. Those teams are a world away. Gavin is here. Even if she did want a star, which is a pretty arbitrary and subjective criterion, they simply aren't accessible.