The universe shook.

Micah Stone took a deep breath, trying to steady himself with the steady gray walls around him. The monochrome atmosphere shielded him from the madness creeping over the universe. A sense of safety almost settled over him.

Almost. He couldn't forget the inferno around him.

"At least you're safe here," Micah said, not sure if he was reassuring himself or the person standing across from him.

Gray eyes blinked back at him. "Safe? That's a nice way to describe prison."

She placed her hand on the energy barrier that kept them apart. His younger sister tilted her head, the familiar gesture unsettling Micah. Rose didn't seem like a criminal, a traitor to the universe. Her long blonde hair and petite body reminded him so much of their mother. But harsh white lights streamed on her, showing the damage done. Dark circles under eyes, pale skin, and a bruise under her chin.

They said she fought back.

"There's a reason you're in prison, Rose," Micah said, trying to force emotion out of his voice.

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, my brother had me arrested."

His patience was almost unraveling faster than the logic of the universe. "That wasn't me, Rose. Although I probably would have done the same thing if I knew you were about to sabotage mankind's chance of survival."

She let out an exasperated huff. "When did you get as bad as the rest of them? When did you decide to support exterminating the most majestic creatures in the universe? You wanted to be a teacher."

He hit the energy barrier, a slight warm shock rippling through his arm. "Maybe I changed when Sam died."

Rose kept her head up, but her lower lip trembled. Micah's eyes burned, the image of their sunny brother bleeding through his mind. Always fifteen in his mind, when he should be seventeen. Always the troublemaker of the family.

Now just a hole in their hearts.

"Damn it!" Micah kicked the barrier, ignoring the crackle of energy. "You were there that night, Rose. You watched it happen. You almost died."

"I did." Rose tentatively reached for the barrier before freezing. "And it haunts me every second of the day. I just...I miss him as much as you."

"Then why?" Micah asked, hating the way his voice cracked.

She started pacing the small cell. "I was there, Micah. I was so close to him. So close that I could have saved him. If you want to blame anyone, you might as well blame me."

Micah bit his lip.

"But that night wasn't what you think." She halted. "I can't explain it. I don't have the words to do it. All I know is I was surrounded by them. They could have killed me in the blink of an eye. But they didn't."

"You weren't worth their time," Micah said.

"I felt like they were trying to tell me something, trying to speak to me," she said, a dreamlike quality taking over her voice. "Only I wasn't listening the right way."

"They're monsters," Micah said.

She held up a finger. "They aren't monsters. They are something wondrous. And yes, I was there. They didn't breathe fire and incinerate Sam. He was killed from falling rubble. And he—"

"That building wouldn't have been falling apart if they hadn't destroyed it!" he snapped.

She hugged herself, slumping against the gray wall. "You don't ask questions anymore. And that is going to destroy you."

Fear shot through Micah. Not fear for himself, but fear for his sister. She seemed so far gone. He didn't want to believe that getting caught up in the attack had changed her so much. But she was like a ghost of his old sister. Once full of life and ferocious, she now had an almost ethereal fragility.

It was almost like he lost two siblings that day.

"What questions should I be asking?" Micah demanded, wishing his old sister would emerge.

"Why was Sam even there that day?" Rose leaned her head back, still fairylike in her movements. "Why was he in the middle of a war zone instead of at a shelter?"

He shifted, focusing on the gray floor. "I can't talk about it."

A weary sigh escaped Rose. "They were tested in school for metaphysical alterations. Don't ask me what that's supposed to mean, I was never as smart as the two of you."

Micah kept his gaze on the floor.

She snorted. "I figured as much. Sam had it. So do I. And you must have it if they've given you permission to visit me. Are you going to help them kill them all?"

Micah's head raised. "I'm defending our planet, Rose. Nothing more. I'm making sure there will never be another Sam."

"Unless we can understand them, it's never going to end," Rose said. "I was there. I felt the call. Call it metaphysical alteration, call it magic—"

A loud scoffing sound escaped Micah. He couldn't help himself. "You sound as bad as those groups who actually claim the creatures are...you know."

Rose blinked. "I'm sorry, I don't know. Maybe say the word?"

Micah twitched. "Don't play this game, Rose."

She leaped up. "Why? Are you afraid to admit that our notion of reality is falling apart before our eyes? You are a damned student of literature. You even own original books, before they were all digital."

"I threw them out," Micah mumbled.

Her face fell. "Why?"

"As long as hell keeps descending on our planet, I'm never going to have time to read again," Micah said. "They were a waste of time, waste of space."

She exhaled. "I can't stop you from making stupid mistakes. But that isn't the point. You read, you know all of that old shit. So you know what is attacking us."

"I know what people say." Micah rubbed his forehead. "Some people have convinced themselves of the impossible when they are nothing but creatures that went undiscovered for a long time. There's nothing magical about it."

"When I was there, when they spared me, I saw things." She closed her eyes. "A world so different from our own, but so close. Abstract notions I can't put into words. But ever since that day, I've seen things differently. Do you feel it, Micah? Something just underneath everything? Things that you can't explain?"

Micah refused to look at her when she opened her eyes. He didn't want to admit that something strange was happening, that the ordered world was falling apart. Little flashes light out of the corner of his eyes. Someone walking through a wall. A magnificent tree bursting from the city's concrete, growing as tall as an eighty-eight story building.

"Anomalies generated by the creatures," he said.

She moved closer to the barrier. "And don't you feel it? Some sort of pull, some sort of connection with them. Sam was there for a reason. He felt called to them. I feel the call too. It's maddening being stuck in here and not being able to answer the call."

Micah stiffened. "I've never felt anything."

A lie. He couldn't sleep at night. The urge to seek out the creatures overwhelmed him. A sickness that brought so many to their deaths.

Like Sam.

"There is something happening and we need to find out the truth," Rose said. "We can't destroy them until we know what's happening to our world."

"The creatures are causing anomalies," Micah repeated. "It triggered some sort of anomaly within a select group of people. That's all."

"That's all?" Rose cocked her head. "You can't just say something logical sounding and wish away the truth. They came from the stars! Creatures shouldn't be able to travel the stars without a craft."

"We'll work it out," he said. "We'll study them. If we can't stop them from killing us long enough to study them."

Rose pursed her lips. "'Study them' sounds more like the government will experiment on their corpses. If there is anything left of them, once you destroy them all."

"They did something to you." He crossed his arms. "Maybe you don't need to be in prison, but you definitely need help."

"Don't do this," she said. "Don't be like those in charge who silence us."

"We're being silenced by the creatures exterminating us!" Micah threw up his arms. "I don't even know why I came here. I don't know what you want from me."

She touched the barrier again. "Our government is just going to use you. That's why they want you, isn't it? Because you can sense them. You can call to them. What are you going to do?"

"What has to be done." Micah stepped back. "I hope you can forgive me."

"You're my brother and I'll always love you," Rose said. "But you won't be able to forgive yourself."

The door slid open, indicating his time was up.

Micah swallowed. "Rose—"

"Don't kill them without finding out the reason this is happening. Ask the question." Rose turned from him, crouching down into the corner. "If we don't know, this will never end."

He hurried out of the room, glad to get away from the ghost of his sister.

A taller man waited for him. Agent Arden's eyes were on his device, scanning information. "Was the visit to your satisfaction?"

"Does the cell have to be that small?" Micah asked. "She looks like she can barely stand up."

Arden shook his head. "The protective shields and tech tend to breakdown around her. She nearly escaped from three separate cells just because the tech stopped working. In much the same way that tech stops working when one of the creatures of unknown origin is in proximity."

Anger jolted Micah. "Are you saying my sister is like them?"

Arden didn't look at Micah as he began a brisk pace down the harshly lit hall. "It's not my job to make any claims about your sister. All I can tell you is that the cell is secure enough to keep her safe if the tech inexplicably malfunctions."

"She doesn't deserve to be there," Micah muttered.

"Mr. Stone, your sister corrupted a device that cost more than a cycle of planetary energy." Arden stopped in front of a large viewer. "She shows an alarming amount of sympathy for the creatures of unknown origin."

Micah gritted his teeth. "She's damaged."

Arden raised an eyebrow, looking out at the planet. "No one is disputing that, Mr. Stone. That is why she has to be contained for her own good. And you should be grateful. If we have to abandon this planet, she will be on a secure military ship."

Micah didn't doubt for a second that she would be ejected into space if they had to abandon the planet. It was the procedure for handling dangerous criminals, if they were forced into refugee status.

"Of course, we shouldn't have to abandon the planet," Arden said. "We have one more shot at the attack. If you are capable of doing your part."

Micah's stomach squirmed. "I know you think there's a biological factor, but I've never had the same metaphysical alteration as my siblings."

"You were tested." Arden shrugged. "Those in charge believe that you can do it. We have one shot with our prototype. We just have to get those damn demons close enough."

Micah closed his eyes. "They aren't demons," he said. "They are creatures of unknown origin."

"Of course," Arden said. "And if all goes well, we'll soon be rid of them. As long as the Dragon Slayer is able to operate successfully."

"They aren't dragons either." Micah clenched his hand. "People are just seeing what they want to see."

"It's just a word, Mr. Stone."

It wasn't just a word. It was a symbol of the insanity wreaking havoc on their universe. Creatures, resembling dragons, appearing in space. Relentless attacks. Inexplicable things happening in the wake of attacks.

Micah just wanted the universe to make sense again.