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Sheken slid into a chair next to Marcus and gave him a quizzical look. He shrugged. "Our ride won't be there until around noon," he answered. But we need to make our way through a very nasty part of the city to get to the water where we will be picked up."

Sheken arched her eyebrows. "I have hired a submarine to sneak us to the Rogue Isles," he explained calmly, as if he were speaking of booking a routine trip for a vacation. Sheken's eyes widened.

"Wow. A real submarine? Why don't we just hop the helicopter to Warburg?"

"A few reasons," he answered slowly. "First, neither you nor I have clearance. Adara might, because of her mother working there. But I don't think they would let us on board. Second, even the hardened residents of the Rogue Isles don't like to go to Warburg. It is some pretty nasty territory. I figured it would be easier to have an old associate of mine pick us up from Siren's Call, which is still part of Paragon City, so it is at least a little safer."

"That's not saying much," Sheken added somberly.

"No, but the real danger will be when we arrive in Nerva," he said darkly.

"Nerva?" both girls chimed in chorus.

"Nerva Archipelago," he nodded. He stood up and walked back towards the back of the apartment, returning with a roll of yellowed parchment. He unrolled it to reveal a map showing a group of islands.

"The Rogue Isles," he said with a flourish. "Here is where I used to live," he said, pointing to an area of the map marked as Port Oakes. Sheken blushed lightly as her mind wandered back to her visits to his abode. Adara caught the look that passed between them and focused her attention carefully on the map.

"This is Nerva," he explained as his finger traced a chain of islands. "Naimah spends a lot of time here," he gestured to the largest of the islands. "Longbow has a base here," he added pointed to a smaller island to the southwest, "and if we can lure Naimah to here," he pointed to a nearby small island, "we can likely get some backup from Longbow if things don't go as well as we planned."

"That sounds like a good plan," Sheken agreed. "Isn't that a long ride by submarine?"

He nodded. "We don't have much choice. Naimah hangs out in Primeva. I have a friend in the Betrothed, the organization I used to belong to, who knows Naimah and can lure her to our location," he said as Sheken gave him sly smile. "We will have the ring, and the element of surprise going for us."

"What if she brings help?" Adara asked, remembering her mother's tale of the fateful attack by Naimah and the legions of Xandaros. "Like other demons?"

"As I understand it," Marcus began slowly, "the research I have read about this ring says that Solomon used it to bind hordes of demons, enough to build his temple. I say the more the merrier." He shrugged. "Either way, we are going to do this. One way or another," he added as his jaw set in a grim mien of determination.

"We have a long day ahead of us. It's not that far to the shore, but the area is treacherous and we will have move carefully," he said softly. "We should probably get going."

The cousins nodded and stood to follow him. Sheken downed the last dregs of the coffee and left the mug on the table as they headed out the door.

A peal of thunder rumbled an ominous warning as the trio exited the building into the pouring rain. "I have an idea," Adara began. Sheken smiled and nodded.

The younger girl took flight, soaring up over the tall buildings while Sheken pulled Marcus under an awning in front of a busy garage. They watched a group of Outcasts loitering near one the doors as if they were planning something. Dealing with a gang of hoodlums would have to be someone else's headache today, Marcus thought to himself. They had bigger problems to tackle.

As Adara flew, the tiny drops of water stung her face. Through her watering eyes she saw the tall gate ahead in the mist.

She ducked her head and began to descend towards the fenced off area where visitors were greeted with dire warnings of a free-fire zone that were prominently posted on billboards near the gate. The warzone liaison gave her a polite nod as she passed by without stopping to chat. She landed softly in the entrance, sheltered from the rain.

Closing her eyes, she summoned her cousin first. Moments later, Marcus materialized between them as they approached the guards and flashed their ID cards. The guards seemed tired or bored, merely giving the three pieces of a plastic a cursory glance before thumbing towards the gate and disabling the electronic barrier to allow the trio to pass into the zone.

Once through the gate they passed a rather well guarded hospital and turned the corner to the right to follow the road down a street of towering buildings. Sheken summoned a cloud of murky darkness to hide them. Adara phased into a translucent state, then invoked the spell to disappear entirely. Marcus likewise moved in the dark shadows to avoid any unwanted attention.

The rain had tapered off from a drizzle to a fine mist that just hung in the air. From Buildville, Siren's Call looked much like any other part of Steel Canyon proper. In silence, the three made their way down the nearly deserted street. A block away, two Longbow operatives had a lone Warrior spread-eagle against a building, patting him down and cuffing him for transport to jail.

This particular street almost seemed more secure than other parts of Paragon City, Adara mused to herself. Then they rounded a curve and began to descend a rather steep hill. At the bottom of the hill, the scenery changed radically. Orange and white caution barriers warned of the street coming to an abrupt dead end. What was left of a tunnel ahead of them remained tightly barricaded with chain link fencing. A group of Tsoo was standing in a circle beyond the barricades, looking completely out of place with their garish tattoos and brightly colored robes against the backdrop of wreckage.

The three young heroes hopped the low concrete wall that lined the sidewalk and quietly tiptoed across an expanse of grass. A small clan of Warriors stood idly nearby, none the wiser to the three stealthy beings that passed nearly under their noses.

They climbed a tall expanse of stairs and snuck carefully between the buildings, only to find themselves atop a steep concrete wall. "Ugh," Sheken moaned. Marcus nodded grimly. “It only gets worse,” he said, somberly. They looked out over the bleak scenery to see the dim shadow of the lighthouse and realized how far away the shoreline remained.

Adara jumped to the top of the wall, and sailed over the edge. Even though he knew she could fly, Marcus felt his heart stop for a moment as she disappeared over the edge. She found a relatively safe spot and summoned Sheken, who then brought Marcus to them. Suddenly with a metallic hiss a group of Arachnos materialized just a few yards from where they were standing. The trio froze in place but the troops seemed to ignore them and instead took off towards where a regiment of Longbow was also mustering forces.

"Since I can remain completely unseen," Adara suggested, "maybe I should fly out to the shoreline and look for a safe place to reassemble?"

Marcus nodded. "Good thinking." The slight blonde leapt into the air, soaring off in the direction of the lighthouse. Sheken stood close to Marcus, and held his hand. "I am afraid for you," she blurted nervously.

"Baby, don't be afraid. No matter what happens, just remember that I will always love you. As soon as this is over, I want to make you my wife. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"I love you, Marcus," she breathed as she pulled down his mask and planted her lips over his in a passionate kiss.