The city lights shone eerily and decrepid, taxis with aging passengers flew by unnoticed, quick walked by and through them constantly, but still unnoticed. There was a job to do. The World Trade Center loomed before them, as they hid in an alleyway, watching and waiting for some sign of the enemy. The wait lasted few moments as two executives began to hail each other with fists. The two seemed to be laughing as the blows rocked the other back.

 "If that's not a fuckin' sign..." Bud says as he slings his forge hammer over his shoulder to his giant hand. Ed nods wordlessly as he hefts his gun.
"Sit down, Bud," he says quietly.
"Yeah, sit down wer'e just supposed to watch remember?" whispers Jack as he squats in the farthest dumpster.
Bud pats his hammer in his hand glaring at Jack who slips in the shadows of the dumpster. Jack shakes his head looking at Doughboy.
"Why is it always us? I mean there are other patrols right? I mean Jesus Christ do we always-"
Doughboy gives Jack a look and he quiets down.
"We can't let those two beat each other to death," Ben says as he watches the two men stagger.
"I say let 'em. I hate stock brokers," says Lyle a few feet away. Ed looks back into the alley and then at the two men. He nods to Ben and signals the others to move back. Looking back at the two fighters, he aims his weapon and fires.
There is a scream as the spectres lose their hold and fall away from the men. They quickly stand, their eyes darting to find the source of the gunfire.
"What the hell was that!" Jack exclaims.
The two spectres begin to run towards the alley as several more begin to run out of the building. "Run!" shouts Ed, as he darts down the alley.
The men run quickly through brick and steel working their way back to the rendevous, firing behind them as they sprint. "That way," Ed points and the patrol darts to the street. Skidding to a halt as their eyes grow wide watching as a spectre them on horseback begins to gallop towards them firing.
"Damn..." Lyle says as he begins to fade looking at the others. "But I haven't been hi-" and winks out.
Ed begins to fire at the rider, "Ben!" There is no response, "Jack, Doughboy, Bud!" Still no response, "Anybody?" he says looking for the others but not finding them.
The rider stops and grins at him as he too begins to fade. Ed looks down at his corpus and finding it undamaged looks quizically at the rider. "I haven't been hurt?" he says as he winks out.

 Two weeks later.... "You ever fuckin' shout like that again on detail and I'll fuckin' forge your ass into a signpost you got me!!" he hears as he sits up
"I was startled, I mean does he have to shoot like that?"
Ed sits up and gathers in his surroundings, "Where are we?"
The others stop their bickering.
"At a warehouse..I think," says Lyle.
"Look, Ed, Doughboy come here," Ben says over by a cabinet. Ed rises and walks over. "What is it?"
Ben points to a newspaper, "It's from Wisconsin, read the headline."
Ed's eyes widen as the headline jumps out at him. 'Family home destroyed in fire' "This can't be...this is where I grew up." he says.
"There's more look, barbells, more newspapers. Our fetters, Ed they are destroying our fetters."
"But why?" asks Bud
"How, that's the question," says Lyle
"Oh Jesus..oh Jesus Christ I can't handle this," Jack says his head in his hands.
"They've got someone or something on *the other side*," says Doughboy quietly.
"My god he'll kill us all....."
to be continued...