The first creature went down in seconds, Kyla's flames reducing it to a puddle of steaming water. But three more took its place, charging from between abandoned cars. The street had become a battlefield, and Kyla was right in the middle of it.
"Left side!" Josh called out, his own flame unit taking down two creatures that had been trying to flank them.
Captain Rodriguez was shouting orders, coordinating their team with military precision. "Alpha squad, secure that intersection! Bravo, move up and cover! Scientists, stay behind the line!"
Stevens and the other Tides officers moved like they'd been doing this their whole lives, working in pairs to corner creatures and drive them toward the harbor two blocks away. The Boston PD officers watched in amazement as the Tides team demonstrated tactics that actually worked.
"How are you making this look easy?" Sergeant Murphy asked, taking down a creature with borrowed flame unit. "We've been fighting these things all day!"
"Practice," Kyla said, though it didn't feel easy at all. Her arms were already aching from the weight of the flame unit, and sweat was pouring down her face from the heat of the flames combined with her protective gear. "And we learned their patterns. They're not smart—they just attack the nearest target. Use that against them."
She demonstrated by firing near a creature's feet instead of directly at it. The creature flinched away from the heat, backing toward where two Boston officers were waiting with hoses. They blasted it with water, pushing it down the street toward the harbor.
"Teamwork!" Josh added, taking down another creature. "They're strong individually, but they don't coordinate. We do."
The battle moved street by street, block by block. The creatures fought hard, but the combined force of the task force, Boston PD, and the military was slowly winning. Bodies—human and creature—littered the streets. Kyla tried not to look at the casualties, tried to focus on the mission, but each lost officer weighed on her conscience.
They'd been fighting for almost an hour when Dr. Walsh's voice came through the radio. "We've located the weak point at Faneuil Hall. It's bigger than the ones in Tides—much more unstable. If we don't close it soon, the entire area could collapse into a dimensional rift."
"Define 'collapse into a dimensional rift,'" Captain Rodriguez demanded.
"Think sinkhole, but instead of dropping into the earth, you drop into another dimension. Anything caught in the collapse would be lost forever."
"How big of an area are we talking?"
"Best case? Two city blocks. Worst case? Half of downtown Boston."
Rodriguez swore creatively. "Alright, change of plans. All units, fall back to Faneuil Hall. We're closing this weak point now."
The team regrouped and moved toward the historic marketplace. Even from a distance, Kyla could see something was wrong. The air above Faneuil Hall was shimmering, distorting like a mirage. Ice covered the ground in spreading patterns, and the temperature was dropping rapidly despite the summer afternoon.
"That's not good," Josh said, stating the obvious.
"The weak point is expanding," Dr. Walsh confirmed, her equipment beeping frantically. "The dimensional barrier is failing faster than I calculated. We have maybe twenty minutes before it collapses completely."
"So how do we close it?" Kyla asked.
"Same principle as before—we need to generate a counter-resonance that forces the barrier to restabilize." Dr. Walsh pulled out a device that looked like a modified fragment. "I brought one of the neutralized fragments from Tides. If I can activate it at the exact center of the weak point, it should work like before—create conflicting frequencies that collapse the opening."
"Should?" Murphy repeated. "What's the confidence level on 'should'?"
"About seventy percent."
"And the other thirty percent?"
"The device explodes, taking a city block with it. Or it creates a feedback loop that makes the weak point permanent. Or—"
"We get it, lots of bad options," Rodriguez cut her off. "Let's focus on the seventy percent. What do you need?"
"Someone has to get this device to the center of the weak point and activate it. Then get out fast—the resonance will only take thirty seconds to work, but those thirty seconds will be extremely dangerous. The creatures will sense what's happening and try to stop it."
Everyone looked at each other. This was a suicide mission dressed up as a "very dangerous" task.
"I'll do it," Kyla said before she could think about it too hard.
"No way," Josh immediately protested. "If anyone's going, it's me."
"Actually, you're both going," Rodriguez decided. "Two people means better odds. You get in, place the device, activate it, and run like hell while the rest of us provide cover."
Kyla wanted to argue, but Rodriguez was right. Two people would be faster, safer. Or at least marginally less suicidal.
"Okay," Josh said, checking his flame unit. "Let's close an interdimensional portal. Again. This is becoming a weird habit."
Dr. Walsh handed them the device, explaining the activation sequence. "Blue button to arm, red button to activate. You'll have a ten-second delay after activation to get clear. The device will emit a high-frequency pulse—you'll feel it in your teeth. When that stops, the weak point is closed."
"Or we're dead," Josh added. "Got it."
The team moved into position around Faneuil Hall. The creatures seemed to sense something was happening—they were gathering near the weak point, moving with more purpose than usual. Kyla counted at least fifty, maybe more.
"This is going to be bad," Stevens muttered.
"On my signal," Rodriguez said, raising her hand. "Three... two... one... GO!"
The team opened fire, flames and water hoses creating chaos among the creatures. Kyla and Josh ran through the opening, dodging falling ice and swinging claws. The weak point was in the center of the marketplace, right where the old Quincy Market building stood. Or had stood—part of it had collapsed into the dimensional rift, creating a swirling vortex of darkness and blue light.
"That's horrifying!" Josh yelled over the roar of the portal.
"Just keep moving!"
They reached the center, and Kyla could feel the pull of the weak point, like gravity trying to drag her in. The air was freezing, making her breath come in gasps. Ice crystals formed on her uniform.
Josh pulled out the device. "Blue button!" He pressed it, and the device started humming. "Now red!"
He hit the red button. The device's hum rose to a shriek, and the ten-second countdown began in Kyla's head. Ten... nine... eight...
That's when the creatures realized what they were doing.
All fifty of them turned and charged directly at Kyla and Josh.
"RUN!" Kyla screamed, grabbing Josh's hand.
They ran, the creatures right behind them. Seven... six... five...
A massive creature stepped into their path, blocking the exit. Josh fired his flame unit, but the creature barely flinched. It was one of the adapted ones, resistant to heat.
Four... three...
"Go around!" Kyla shoved Josh to the left, and they split, trying to flank the creature. It swiped at Kyla, catching her shoulder and sending her spinning. Pain exploded through her arm, but she kept moving.
Two... one...
The device detonated with a sound like the world breaking. A wave of energy exploded outward, and Kyla felt it pass through her—a sensation like being turned inside out and put back together wrong. The creatures shrieked in agony as the energy hit them, their bodies crystallizing and shattering like glass.
The massive creature blocking their path exploded into fragments. Kyla and Josh dove through the opening, hitting the ground hard as the weak point collapsed inward. The vortex imploded, the blue light dying, the ice melting instantly.
Silence fell.
Kyla lay on the ground, breathing hard, her shoulder screaming in pain. Josh was next to her, also down but moving. Around them, the creatures were gone—destroyed by the device's resonance. The weak point was closed.
"Did we do it?" Josh groaned.
"I think so," Kyla managed.
The team rushed forward, Dr. Walsh checking her equipment frantically. "It worked! The weak point is completely sealed! No dimensional energy readings at all!"
A cheer went up from the Boston PD officers. They'd won. They'd actually won.
Captain Rodriguez helped Kyla to her feet, then pulled both her and Josh into a quick, professional hug. "Damn fine work, both of you. Damn fine."
A medic appeared to check Kyla's shoulder—dislocated, but fixable. They popped it back in with a move that made her see stars, then strapped it up. Josh had cuts and bruises but nothing serious.
Sergeant Murphy approached, looking tired but relieved. "You just saved about a million people. Boston owes you."
"Just doing our job," Kyla said, though it felt like way more than just a job.
They spent the next three hours helping with cleanup and evacuation. Two more weak points remained in Boston—one at the Charles River, one at the Public Garden—but now that they had a working strategy, closing them went faster. Captain Rodriguez led teams to both locations while Kyla and Josh coordinated from a mobile command center.
By evening, all three weak points were closed. Boston was secure.
The team gathered at the airport for extraction. They'd lost two military specialists and three Boston PD officers in the fighting. Dr. Walsh had minor injuries from when a creature had gotten too close to her equipment station. Everyone else was bruised, exhausted, and running on adrenaline and coffee.
"Good work, everyone," Rodriguez said as they boarded the C-130. "We saved a major city today. That's something to be proud of."
As the plane lifted off, Kyla looked out the window at Boston below. Smoke still rose from various locations, and she could see emergency vehicles everywhere. But the city was safe. The people were safe.
"Two cities down," Josh said quietly, sitting next to her. "How many more to go?"
Dr. Walsh, overhearing, pulled up her tablet. "Latest count shows active weak points in eighteen more cities. New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Miami—the list goes on. We've got requests for assistance from all of them."
"Eighteen cities," Kyla repeated. "That's... a lot."
"The agency is putting together more teams," Dr. Walsh assured them. "Training officers using the information we've gathered. You two won't have to do this alone."
"Where to next?" Josh asked.
"New York. They've got the worst situation after Boston—five weak points, limited resources, creatures spreading into the subway system." Dr. Walsh showed them footage from CNN. Times Square was frozen over, the famous billboards dark. "They need help immediately."
Kyla and Josh looked at each other. They'd barely survived Boston, and now they were heading to an even worse situation. But people needed them. That was the job.
"We're in," Kyla said.
"Of course you are," Stevens said from across the plane. "You two are like action movie heroes now. Can't back down when things get tough."
"We're not heroes," Josh protested. "We're just cops who keep ending up in weird situations."
"Sure. Keep telling yourself that." Stevens grinned. "But when they make a movie about this—and they will—I want to be played by someone handsome."
Despite everything, Kyla laughed. Even in the middle of an interdimensional war, Stevens could make jokes. Maybe that was what they all needed—to remember they were still human, still capable of laughter and hope.
The flight back to Tides took two hours. They weren't staying—just refueling and picking up more supplies before heading to New York—but Chen had insisted they touch base.
At the Tides station, they found a surprise waiting. A banner reading "WELCOME HOME HEROES" hung in the bullpen. Officers applauded as Kyla and Josh walked in, and Chen was actually smiling.
"You two made us proud," he said, shaking their hands. "Boston PD called to thank us personally. Said you saved thousands of lives."
"We had help," Kyla said, uncomfortable with the attention. "The whole team did it."
"Don't be modest. You're good at this—both of you. Leading, fighting, making impossible decisions." Chen's expression turned serious. "I know you're headed to New York next. I want you to know that whatever you need—equipment, personnel, support—you've got it. Tides has your back."
"Thank you, sir," Josh said.
They had thirty minutes before heading to New York. Kyla used it to call her mom, assuring her she was fine despite seeing her on the news coverage of Boston. Her mom was crying, which made Kyla cry, which made Josh come find her and hold her while she tried to get herself together.
"Sorry," she said, wiping her eyes. "I'm not usually this emotional."
"You're allowed to be emotional. We're fighting monsters and saving cities. That's a lot." Josh wiped a tear from her cheek. "Your mom loves you. She's scared for you. That's normal."
"I'm scared too," Kyla admitted. "Every time we fight, I think maybe this is it. Maybe we don't make it out this time."
"Then we make it count. Every moment, every fight, every person we save—it all counts." Josh kissed her forehead. "And we stick together. Always."
"Always," Kyla agreed.
The flight to New York was scheduled for midnight. As they loaded back onto the C-130, Kyla looked at their team. Stevens, looking determined despite his jokes. Captain Rodriguez, professional and unshakeable. Dr. Walsh, brilliant and dedicated. And Josh, her partner in everything, the person who made her feel brave even when she was terrified.
They were heading into another battle. Another city to save. Another impossible situation.
But they were ready.
They had to be.
Because if they failed, millions of people would die. And the King's army would win.
New York was waiting.
And so was the next fight.
End of Chapter 18