ALT Quirk: "I have some beds I stole from the barracks. Sometimes P3T3R visits, so you can use his. I might have to find something else for the cat." Lautrec: "I can sleep on the floor if necessary. Something soft would be nice if possible, a mat or a rug would do." Quirk: "I have towels." Quirk removes a cover from a wall panel and begins hotwiring the door controls, revealing a hidden passage to his hideout. Quirk: "Now, there's one thing you need to know..." Quirk: "I sleep in a cupboard. I'll lock the door from inside with a logic puzzle. DO NOT open the cupboard except in dire emergency." Xerian: "What?! Why?" Quirk: "My combat implants, remember! If they fire up while I'm unconscious, I may go into a killing frenzy. I can only solve the door puzzle when my murderous tendencies have abated. If I open it, I should be safe. But if YOU open it, I might be dangerous." Xerian: "I don't BELIEVE THIS! I'm trapped on an alien spaceship with a mad murderer!" Quirk: "...Rude!"

ALT Ernst sits in his cell, staring into space. It is noticeably darker as dusk approaches. Suddenly there is a clang and he looks up to see a solemn-faced guard who has come to escort him to the execution square. Guard: "It's time, Neckbreaker." The guards - one looking pleased, the other solemn, lead him through the prison to the courtyard. Ernst composes himself stoically, and ponders what his life has led up to. Ernst: "The injustice of this world is too much to bear..." Ernst: "...If this TRAVESTY is all it has to offer, then I don't want to stay in it."

ALT Flux waves their uninvited guests goodbye, and slowly transforms back to their angel disguise Flux: "BYEEE! Glad you sorted it out! Never come back, I'm a hermit!!!" Flux: "Well, that was... something. Time to go back to doing whatever it is I do." Flux: "Wait, I never got my window fixed! AGH!" THE END

ALT Lady Finch is getting desperate. Finch: "I can tell you the coordinates. I'll even show you how to make the jump device carry several people. But in exchange, I want to go with whoever you send! That's all I ask! What do you say...?" Daxxon: "I say we KILL her!" Finch: "But then you wouldn't have the coordinates, would you, Daryil?" Daryil mutes the mic Daxxon: "DO we need them? Part of you is in Grunmore, isn't it?" Daryil: "It's not that easy. Their shield greatly weakens my avatar. We need to use the jump device somehow." Finch: "Do we have a deal...?" Daryil: "Not necessarily. Your position is a lot more precarious than you think, Lady Finch. I am the Lord Daryil... All who oppose me will be turned into a sort of jam-like substance." Daryil: "You see, the thing is, we have ANOTHER of your androids here, which Daxxon managed to destroy. But her brain is still intact, so we don't actually need you at all." Finch: "I... I'm sorry... I just want to be with my SON!"

ALT Keaton reflects upon her clan's viciousness Keaton: "There's a dozen reasons Jyraneth would want me killed. But that goes for pretty much ALL her Children, except for the fanatics, and they usually get THEMSELVES executed." Keaton: "Things have changed since The Lady was in power. Beings have a bigger piece of the pie and Creature allies to protect them, so anti-Being crusades are dead in the water." Keaton: "Turns out, without HER to protect us, killing Beings for fun ain't exactly a survival trait." Keaton: "And I wanna survive." Keaton: "So if that means fighting ALONGSIDE Beings instead of killing them... Then that's what I gotta do." Josh: "But you WOULD kill Beings if you could...?" Keaton: "Why bother? We were told it was our duty as members of the clan. But now the clan's broken up. We used to do it 'cause The Lady'd kill us if we didn't. But now she won't even TALK to us anymore."

ALT Quirk reveals the Emperor's plan Quirk: "The Emperor plans to conquer your worlds. He's abducting members of your race to learn your weaknesses. But I think that bit's winding down now and they're starting to get to the INVASION part of the plan." Lautrec: "So, about your assassination gig... Do you take commissions...?" Xerian: "LAUTREC!" Lautrec: "Sorry, boss, warrior robot and all. So! Who actually IS the... uh..." Lautrec falters as the lights suddenly dim Xerian: "What's going on? Is the ship being attacked?!" Quirk: "No... It's evening, shipboard time. The lighting varies to simulate a day/night cycle." Quirk: "We're almost at the hideout, and I should probably prepare for bed once we get there." Xerian: "Perhaps it's for the best... It's getting for my bedtime too. I HATE adapting to different lengths of day..." Quirk: "I can wake you if you need it."

ALT Having asked to cut a deal, Lady Finch has just revealed that she destroyed Yvonne. Daryil grins like a crazed game show host. Daryil: "That's quite a deal, Lady Finch! Indeed... How can I possibly refuse..? And, if you make it through to the end of THIS round, you'll have won an all-expenses-paid trip to Marlbury jail, with a special, personalised tour of the execution chamber!" Finch: "Perhaps, Lord Daryil... But hear me out. First, where is Richard?" Daryil: "Safely in my sanctum." Lady Finch looks horrified, fearing that she has made a catastrophic misjudgement. Finch: "...NO!" Daryil: "Just kidding. Actually, your lot kidnapped him, as you presumably expected." Finch: "Yes. You want to get into Grunmore, but you need the coordinates. With Yvonne's brain destroyed, you can only get them from one place. ME." Daryil, sadly: "...Are you so eager to betray your own clan, Albeth?" Finch: "THEY TOOK MY SON!"

ALT Injured Nigel keeps talking, probably too concussed to notice his doppelgänger on the comms screen. Nigel: "She hid and jumped my when I entered... She must be on the run somewhere..." Daryil: "Oh, I think we've found her, HAVEN'T WE, 'Nigel'?" Daryil: "Real Nigel, get to sick bay and organise the missing persons list when you can." Lady Finch gives up and reverts to her base form. Daryil: "Lady Finch, you've done a LOT of VERY stupid things lately, but that really takes the cake. You are aware that I can THINK you dead, right? And that my chief of security wanted you beheaded even BEFORE you assaulted him...?" Finch: "I want to make a deal with you, Lord Daryil." Daryil: "THAT takes a lot of balls! Ooh! Do you still have Nigel's trouser department?" Finch: "I have destroyed Yvonne." Daryil and Daxxon stare dumb with astonishment, and Ashley on the comms screen has fanned out in shock.

ALT Keaton has landed at a rural railway station, having deposited Tim safely on the ground. Josh and Jason come into land beside her. Josh: "Reckon they'll pursue us into Fairwater?" Jason: "It'll suck if they do. Both for us, and for them. Fairwater'd have 'em killed." Keaton: "Nah, I think we're good. Wanted to land at the station anyway. Catch a ride. Carrying people while flying... What a pain in the ass!" Tim: "What do you WANT with me...?" Jason: "I thought you LIVED in Fairwater. Surely you'd be used to seeing Creatures?" Tim: "In the outskirts... We don't get many 'Cubi there. Some people want to secede because the King is an incubus..." Jason: "It cuts both ways." Jason: "Someone wastes a 'Cubi, the King has their head. 'Cubi wastes a Being? The King has THEIR head. If EVERYONE feels safe, nobody is wasting nobody!"

ALT Quirk continues to lead his new allies down the maintenance duct Xerian: "There was this blue-green guy who distracted our captors. Are they your friend...?" Quirk: "Oh! Is THAT how you got away? That would be P3T3R. He's weird." Xerian: "Don't take this the wrong way, but YOU'RE weird. Hearing voices in your head, that's not normal! At least, not where we come from!" Quirk: "That's probably what P3T3R has too. Maybe he does random chaotic stuff to block them out? To be honest, I'm not sure how HE escaped being captured himself, but he's clearly not one of Them. At least, not YET." Xerian: "'Not YET?!'" Quirk: "Well, if they capture him, he'll become a drone." Quirk: "They'll remove his free will.. And turn him into one of THEM."

ALT Ernst awaits his fate on death row. The guards outside are discussing the execution. Guard: "How are they setting up the scaffold? Is it a beheading or a hanging?" Guard: "It's a beheading. Hanging's too slow for a Demon..." Guard: "Really? Shoot! I had my money on a hanging!" Ernst looks horrified because he realises he's not going to get a trial after all Guard: "I thought the last Demon they beheaded broke the guillotine when he hardened his skin..." Guard: "Heh, yeah... They still haven't fixed it. They'll use the old fashioned block and axe. No chance of that happening THIS time, he's got anti-magic cuffs!" Guard: "Heh, good! Oughta be a nice crowd for that one! C'mon, we'd better get back to patrols." The guards leave, and Ernst clutches his head in anguish Ernst: "...no..."

ALT Daxxon is vengeful about the kidnap of his boyfriend. Daxxon: "WHERE ARE THEY?! Where's Jakob, and where are the people who took him?!" Daryil: "Underneath Grunmore. Look for any abandoned house in Kingsfield Road, most of them have a hidden lift down into the complex. But I suspect they've warded it all to prevent Taun's agents getting inside." Daxxon: "DAMMIT!" Daryil: "I know, Dax... But we can probably get in using their jump devices. Yvonne should have the coordinates. Ashley, how is our prototype?" Ashley: "The copy? So far it's worked in the lab..." Nigel appears on the screen, Daryil looks at him oddly Daryil: "Nigel...? Is there something wrong? Did Lady Finch escape?" Nigel: "She's fine. Just letting you know." Daryil: "Good. Now-" An alarm goes off, and Nigel looks around wildly. The screen splits three ways to add a second Nigel with a big gash on his forehead. Nigel: "She... She escaped..."

ALT Commander Steve is not pleased about Mary asking to turn an executed criminal's head into a prop for Halloween. Steve: "ABSOLUTELY NOT! Dammit, Mary! Killing someone without a bounty doesn't make them a free-for-all, it makes things much, MUCH worse!" Steve: "It's a paperwork nightmare! I have to JUSTIFY it! I'll have to file a report, send photos of the body AND the head, send the local courts a recording of the judgement, witness statements and everything!" Steve: "...And if they found out his head has been turned into a fucking YULETIDE DECORATION, YOU'LL be explaining to the magister why you should stay out of jail!" Mary: "Gods dammit!" Steve: "This is what we're going to do, Mary. You are going to put him in the cooler. Head AND body, both whole and unmutilated. No 'saving bits for later'." Steve: "I will send a message to this Queen Featherstone, offering to repatriate his remains in exchange for those of Roger, as soon as the inquest is over. Mrs Falstein deserves that muc

ALT In his office, Daryil stands up and makes a decisive move Daryil: "Right. I know exactly what I must do next." Daryil goes to the calendar where he'd been ticking off days he liked, and turns the latest tick into a cross. Then he calls up Nigel, head of security, splitting the screen with Ashley Daryil: "Nigel, what's the situation?" Nigel: "The attackers seem to have left, but we're still on high alert. I'm organising a roll-call to see if anyone's missing." Daryil: "Very good. I know you're busy, but can you check on Lady Finch and Hayley? Top priority. We need to make sure they're still in our custody." Nigel: "At once, my lord." Daryil: "Sheila, Syd... Can you fetch Illiath here, please? Be careful, in case there are stragglers." Syd: "Yes, sir!"

ALT Back in the guildhall, Mary is trying to give Steve a winning smile Mary: "STEEEVE..." Steve: "What IS it, Mary?" Mary: "There's a DEAD GUY in the basement!" Steve: "That would be the prisoner I just executed, right...?" Mary: "Can I have him? Pretty please..." Steve: "You ate half an hour ago, Mary." Mary: "No, no! I only need the HEAD! He's not a bandit, he doesn't have a bounty on him! He's got no resale value!" Steve: "You want to EAT HIS HEAD...? GROW UP, MARY! That's a cliché act of pointless maliciousness only a teenage demon would even consider!" Mary: "No! I want to CARVE it! He'll make a beautiful Hallow's Eve decoration!"

ALT Quirk places an electronic device against his head and his display goes a little weird. Quirk: "...GUH!" Quirk: "Sorry, that'll quiet them down for a while. Normally I'd be able to get a repair job, but... Eh, being a stowaway on an interstellar destroyer... Not the best place to get that kind of servicing." Xerian: "'The voices in your head'...? That's usually considered a sign of insanity!" Quirk: "I'm a protogen. My cyber-implants are all loaded up with combat 'wares to make me the perfect killer." Quirk: "The implants keep trying to override my free will. I can keep 'em in check... most of the time." Xerian: "Is that why you're called 'Quirk'...? Because you're... BUGGY...?" Quirk: "Pretty much. Now, you look like an abductee from the planet, so unless you're part of some trap by His Imperial Majesty, you're escapees. "So... How about we band together? I can take you to my hideout, we'll be safer there." Lautrec: "...I don't think we have much choice."

ALT Ernst lies in his cell, anti-magic bracers to negate his Demon strength. A crack of sunlight moves across the room as the hours pass Ernst: "They CAN'T... Not without a trial, surely...?" The guards check in on him, peering through the bars. One of them sneers at him. Guard: "Soon, Demon! SOON!"

ALT Tata freaks out at the fact that her fathers have found her and that Flux is relying on a potion to fix everything. Tatiana: "HOW IS A POTION GOING TO-" Jakob: "Tatiana, we're so glad you're alright! We were so worried - you've been hidden from Daryil's sight! We thought something terribly happened!" Jakob: "Flux, what did you DO?!" Flux: "Oh, SURE! Blame the mad woods wizard for everything!" Nora: "Here's the potion!" Flux: "Thank you, Nora!" Daxxon: "What is that smell...?" Flux: "My patent-pending Dads-don't-be-mad potion! A cauldron of magical no-bake chocolate cake. How about we sit down and discuss things nicely?"

ALT Jakob: "Where does that leave us now, Niall? Now that Daryil is your father... Whatever you decide... I just... want you to know that I've always loved you, always tried to do the best for you, and I hope that we can still be close to each other..." Niall: "COME ON! You're being ridiculous! You think I'd storm out of Jayhawk and cut you out of my life, just because we got confused about who shagged who? YOU SAVED MY LIFE!" Niall: "Okay, so this is new and unexpected. I'm strangely pleased to learn that I'm the direct descendant of a Clan Leader. But Dad... Uh, I mean Jakob..." Niall: "You never claimed to be my father. You were my great-grandfather, or so we thought. But you ADOPTED ME. You became my father THEN, and this revelation doesn't change that. It leaves us just where we were before!" They hug each other tenderly, and then Daryil ruins it all. Daryil: "Of course, if you're not directly related, that opens the door for some nice hot-" Jakob and Niall: "NO!"