A disheveled Mammon descends from the elevator. This world’s version of the Mastigos is flanked by a pair of urban feral spirits: a giant pigeon made of newspaper and a cat headed woman. Lurking nearby him is a twilight version of himself wearing a tinfoil hat and looking everywhere at once. It radiates paranoia.
The two Mammons confront each other and begin to work on a deal. Mammon tries to trade his information on the the Great Fire Spirit for his alternate’s knowledge of Algol. But alternate Mammon doesn’t care about that. His world is doomed and nothing they can do will change that. When pressed, he explains that his world is a flawed copy of the world, cast off when Cicero rewrote reality. It represents an example of what might have been. Only the repair efforts of the Weaver and the Demon El’s tenuous connection to their world keeps this reality from collapsing into the Abyss.
In this end, alternate Mammon agrees to help if the cabal takes him with them when they leave. He also hints that others from their world have made him offers, though this did not include Decima. The two Mammons negotiate further, eventually agreeing to save him in exchange for Algol’s history and ban, to be told upfront in private.
Alternate Mammon creates a portal to a small empty pocket dimension. They enter, leaving a frustrated Binary behind. Inside the gray space, he begins his tale of the fallen Supernal god. His explanation is fractured due to Algol’s origin in a higher reality beyond mere mortal description. But they learn of its weakness which they can use to control it to a certain extent. Alternate Mammon also knows how to summon Algol but it would be easier and less dangerous if the other guardian, Nehjarra, was removed first.
They also discuss the possible locations of the summoning and their consequences. Summoning it inside the city would be a disaster. In the real world it would envelope the city in flames while in shadow it would madden the spirits and shatter the gauntlet. In twilight it would cause mass insanity. Summoning it into a nearby pocket realm however would mitigate the damage. Inside the Circle of Four’s wending, it might destroy or harm the members of the legacy. In this fractured world however, while it might end this world, it would not harm their Chicago. Alternate Mammon hints there may be side effects though.
The cabal decides to deal with Nehjarra soon and then move ahead to summon Algol with Alternate Mammon’s help. They leave the pocket realm.
Outside they run into a group of mages: this world’s Valkyrie, Recon, Colt and Binary. They question Recon about the Circle of Four. His experiences were much like Colt’s. They also note that this Valkyrie is engaged. The cabal is light on the details of their discussion in the pocket realm and Mammon’s alternate is dismissive of his comrades, eager to leave this dying world. As they go to leave they realize that Binary might follow them. They resolve to lose her.
Mammon and his double teleport ahead while Colt leads the others in an attempt to lose anyone shadowing them. Unfortunately Binary is an expert in trailing people. Colt spots her despite this and calls for her to come out. Cursing her failure to follow them discretely, she reveals herself. After she rants about it, they agree to take her along if she takes an oath to not contact herself and to leave Chicago. Reluctantly she agrees, first calling her cabal and making a tearful goodbye. Arachne seals the oath magically.
Meanwhile, Mammon and alternate Mammon compare their notes trying to find where their lives diverged. It seems that the alternate simply decided to look for love. As they reach this conclusion, they spot the others coming up the street with Binary in tow. Alternate Mammon comments on how Colt doesn’t listen well.
Sudden they notice a van slowing to stop in front of the Mammons. Colt reads ambush in the movement and draws his gun with lightning speed, putting a bullet in the front tire. The van stops and the side door opens up. Inside a group of four men in bulletproof vests and armed with high powered rifles open fire on the two Mastigos. Mammon dives for cover, taking a minor damage in the process. He retaliates with an attack on two of the gunmen’s minds. Meanwhile Adele convinces the spirit of the van to slam the door shut. Colt begins shooting the driver through the windshield, while Valkyrie and Binary rush forward with a sword and a submachine gun, respectively.
Suddenly the van pulls into traffic due to Alternate Mammon’s manipulations. It soon crashes into an oncoming car, rattling the occupants. Rota curses the rifles and Colt shatters the windshield, wounding the driver. As the van door opens again, Binary unloads into closely packed gunmen and Valkyrie slices the arm of another. The gunmen fire again but wounded and cursed, their shots go wide and are absorbed by the car Mammon is crouched behind. Some of them begin to get out as the driver takes off, compelled by Mammon’s magic. One man takes a bullet to the knee first from Colt and falls out of the van. He is left behind.
As the attackers drive off, Mammon’s alternate explains they were after him. The Seers knows he can release Algol. He kicks the survivor as he laughs about how often they have failed. The cabal sends the survivor on his way after determining that Johnson was behind the attack. They then leave the dying world.
On the other side Alternate Binary leaves, heading out of the city. Alternate Mammon tells them that his other visitor was a mage named Zio and an Awakened teenager called Alice. They also wanted to know about Algol and demons. He then leaves, saying that Mammon knows how to find him.